A Tale of Dragons:Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol
by Zepthen
Summary: Two years after fulfilling her destiny and defeating Alduin, Khara the Dragonborn accepts a quest from the Jarl of Morthal to investigate a cave within the hold. Expecting to only meet a few bandits, the quest turns out to be much, much worse than what she original thought, and way more complicated. F!DB/Serana.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings everyone! First time writer here and I am excited to share it with my fellow geeks. I have played Skyrim since its release back in 2011 and still play it very often. I love the lore, the adventures, the characters and the art style. However, doing the same thing over and over again do get boring after a while. I think I've read every Dragonborn/ Serana fanfic there is out there (like 99,7% sure). So, I decided to stop daydreaming about it and started writing down the words. This fanfic also contains spoliers from the game. I must warn you, some locations, factions, lore, quests, characters etc. Have been changed/ removed to make the story more fun for me to write and hopefully for you to read. Some new character may enter the story as well.

In the start, there won't be much romance between the main characters as I think I will try to make their relationship grow a bit slower, don't quote me on that though, nothing is written in stone. The fic is rated M for Adult content, gore, language and (maybe) sexual content. We will have to wait and see if I can manage to write some ''romantic activities'' till later chapters, as I have never done it before. I also wanted to say that English is not my first language so there will be mistakes, but I will try my very best to make it as smooth and understandable as possible. I will also not give you like a weekday for when I release new chapters, they will be released when they are done.

Well that's all I have to say for now, hopefully some of you will enjoy the story.

 **Disclaimer:** **I do NOT own Skyrim or its characters** , **all rights belong to our Lord and Savior, Bethesda Softworks.**

 **A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 1_

 _A Lady in a crypt_

"My kin will avenge me, _dog_!" The vampire spat as he choked on his own blood. The blade in his chest twisted slightly before being pushed further into him, effectively ending his life.

"Not if you all keep fighting the same way, so predictable." Khara mumbled as she pulled out her ebony blade from the vampire's corpse, using his cloak to get rid of the blood on her weapon. She had now slain half a dozen vampires since entering the cave, which turned out to be a crypt.

She made her way to a room with a lever in the middle, she pulled it and a gate in front of her opened. As she made her way through she could hear a voice.  
"I'll never tell you anything, _leech_. My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me!" _Such words can only come from a Vigilant_. Khara thought to herself as she made her way over to the ledge, giving a clear view of the scene taking place on the stone floor below. The man who had spoken laid bleeding on the floor before two vampires, a male and a female.

"I believe you, Vigilant. And I don't think you even realize what you've found here, so let me explain to you." The male spoke in a smooth voice as he lowered himself and knelt down to be at the same level as the Vigilant. "In here lies ancient knowledge, an Elder Scroll. Now I believe you are sharp enough to understand that with an Scroll, me and my kind could make a lot of chaos, don't you think?" The vampire smirked as he quickly grabbed the man by the throat and stood up. "I won't keep your beloved Stendarr waiting any longer." The vampire said as he harshly pulled the man closer to him and sank his teeth into his neck, draining what little blood was left. The body fell a moment later onto the cold stone floor.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil?" The female finally spoke as she walked up to stand beside her fellow vampire, looking down at the corpse in front of her. "He still might have told us something, we haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with…. Whatever this is." She said as she waved her hand towards the middle of the room.

"He knew nothing. He served his purpose by leading us to this place, whatever _this_ is. We will figure it out. Lord Harkon sent us here to claim his price and don't even think about giving up, leaving without it will be a death sentence." He said as he looked at the other vampire.

"Are we truly looking for an Elder Scroll? Did Lord Harkon share so much information with you?" She spoke as she made her way over a little stone bridge that would take her to the center of the room.

"Of course not, I only said that to scare the _filth_ before ending his pathetic little life, I don't even think we'll find anything of much power here, but clearly there is something within this place that holds value to our Lord. Probably just some old jewelry enchanted with blood-magic I reckon." Lokil responded as he too made his way over to the bridge.

Khara had heard enough. She grabbed the crossbow hanging from her belt and aimed it at the female below.

"Let the thrall look some more before we conti…." _Swoosh._ Lokil quickly turned his head, only to see that his companion had a bolt firmly planted in the back of her head. He hissed as he leapt a few feet back away from his now dead friend. He looked around for where the shooter might have been, only to be meet with two slightly glowing blue eyes looking back at. He raised his axe as he waited for the stranger to emerge from the shadows.

After Khara had hit the vampire in the back of the head, she had jumped down and drawn her blade. It was amusing looking at Lokil's facial expressions as he searched for her. And when their eyes finally met, she started walking towards him.

Lokil smirked at the person now approaching him, he could now see that it was a woman. Wearing some sort of ebony armor, _no wonder why she blended so well with the dark._ He thought to himself. "Thank you for getting rid of her for me, I will have little time for competition when I return to Lord Harkon." He spoke with arrogance.

"The only lord you'll ever return to is Molag Bal." Khara spoke as she walked faster towards the vampire who only hissed at her response. She was now sprinting towards him as she held onto her blade. The vampire cast a frost bolt at her which she easily dodged, the vampire raised his axe to meet the strike of her blade, but in never came. In the last second before striking the vampire, Khara let go of her blade with one hand and used it to grab her dagger which she has hidden on the back of her belt, stabbing the vampire on the side of his chest.

He swung his axe hoping to remove her head, Khara moved fast yet she still managed to get a little cut below her right eye. _Too close, that was too close_. She grunted as she rolled to the side and quickly got up on her feet only to meet the axe once more, but with her blade this time. She took a step back as she positioned her left leg on the side on the vampires right one, and managed to make him loose balance as she placed it behind his and used her strength to push him back.

"I will have your head!" The vampire yelled as he fell on the ground. In his panic, he failed to meet her blade, as it was now firmly planted in his chest. He grabbed the blade with one hand and used the other to sit up. His eyes meeting glowing blue ones once more. "To be bested by a _morsel_." He choked as he continued. "You fight well, but you only delay your own death. I have allies in high places, I _will. Be. Avenged._ " He was now beginning to sway due to the loss of blood.

"We'll all die someday, _leech._ But I doubt that your _allies_ will be the ones who'll send me to the afterlife." She spoke calmly as she removed the blade from his chest and pulled her mask to cover her face, _the cut will have to be treated later_.

"You have no idea who you just got yourself involved with, _girl_." He paused for a moment, getting some air into his lungs. His speech now slurred. "My clan will destroy your world and everyone within it, vampires will role all of Nirn." The final words left his mouth as his lifeless body fell onto the ground.

Khara searched the two vampire bodies, gold, a blood potion by the looks of it and an ebony dagger was the only things she took as she made her way over to the middle of the room. She grabbed hold of her crossbow once more and reloaded it before aiming it at the apparently deaf thrall who was looking around the room for whatever the vampires were looking for. Due to an odd angle Khara had to shoot the poor bastard in his thigh.

" _Aghhh_!" Was the only thing managed to escape his mouth before a second bolt ended his misery. _Right between the eyes._

She smirked at her shot before looking around the room she was now in, _that should be all of them_. She made her way over to the center and stood in front of a pedestal with a button on top of it. _This is a puzzle if I ever saw one_ , she chuckled at her own thought. She grabbed her dagger once more and gently pressed the button with the tip of it, nothing happened as she continued with more force.  
She sighed. "This better not hurt…." She mumbled as she unstrapped her left gauntlet and strapped it to her belt. She gave the room one last look before she placed her hand on the button. _Click._ She could hear something moving up inside the pedestal fast. _For the love of Talos… "Mother fucker!_ " She yelled in a hushed voice as a spike cold as ice had made a hole in her left hand, making blood pour from it. She knelt quickly as she grabbed a healing potion and some cloth from her enchanted pouch and pored the liquid over the cloth before wrapping it around her hand. _I will need to see a healer soon._

"What the _?"_ The ground was shaking and a dark purple light could be seen from the cracks on the stone floor. Khara got on her feet and made sure there was no enemies around once more, before figuring out what she had just done. Around the pedestal there was a circle of the strange light that also went in a straight line pointing over to where she had entered the room. She walked over to it and looked at the brazier that was in some sort of track, she pushed it to where the line went.

Her eyes widen as the brazier suddenly caught flame, she then saw that there we're three of these tracks in circles of different sizes and there were more braziers as well. She walked around the room and moved the brazier to their correct positions, when she got to the last one she paused for a moment. Letting her thoughts of worry crawl to the back of her mind, she pushed the last one into place.

Once more the ground shook, but there was something else happening, something was moving. Khara's eyes looked down to see the floor sinking and that the pedestal, that looked like it was hallow, was rising a little. Not knowing what could be inside, she grabbed her blade with her good hand and prepared herself for whatever would come next.

It's safe to say that after years of adventures and dangerous quest, Khara would've never have guessed what she was now looking at. _A woman?_ Inside the pedestal there was a young woman, sleeping. Her skin was pale, but she did not look sick, her hair as dark as the night and her clothing looked like it was from a different age. There was no denying that the woman in front of Khara was beautiful. _Carved by Dibella herself._ Khara thought. The woman slowly fell forward, but a shackle around her right wrist prevented her from meeting the ground, she regained her balance shortly after.

The woman opened her eyes and looked around quickly before orange glowing eyes met glowing blue ones. _She's a vampire_. Khara held her blade a little tighter. The vampire looked at her sword arm before closing her eyes and bringing her left hand to her head, then looked at Khara once more before she spoke. "Ugh…. Where is…" A pause. The woman had a smooth voice, _I bet she sings like an Aedra_. Her wolf said in her mind. "Who sent you here?" The woman looked confused, disorientated and a little worried as her eyes looked around again. _Why does this mortal have glowing eyes?_ The vampire asked herself in the back of her mind.

"Idgrod Ravencrone, The Jarl of Morthal." Khara responded with her smooth voice as she kept her blade ready in her hand.

The vampire looked at her shackled hand as she spoke. "A Jarl? I don't know who that is, is she…Like me?" The vampire turned her head and looked into blue ones yet again, searching for answers.

"No, she sent me here to deal with the other vampires. I don't think anyone knew _you_ were in here." Khara was unsure of what to do in this situation, this was the first time a vampire had ever taken the liberty of speaking with her, if you don't count all the insult they yell at her. She had always been told that vampires are evil creatures of the night who are to be attacked on sight. Yet she could not bring herself to simply strike the vampire down, there was something about those eyes.

A little worried that the vampire was trying to play some mind games with her, Khara broke eye contact and took a step back, something that the vampire noticed.

"You're a vampire hunter?" The vampire's voice grew a little defensive.

"No, I am not." Khara simply answered.

The vampire narrowed her eyes on the one who had awoken her from her slumber, trying to regain eye contact with the mortal woman. "Then who are you, why are you here?" She asked.

"I am a Thane of the Hold, my duty demanded me finding out what the vampires were doing here." Khara said in an even tone.

The vampire was about to speak, but were interrupted by a sound in the distant. Both the vampire and Khara looked over towards the sound. Footsteps, walking in this direction. Khara noticed a vampire and most likely another thrall, slowly drawing closer, they hadn't noticed her yet. She turned her head to the vampire while kneeling down, placing her blade on the ground and grabbing her dagger.

"Friends of yours?" She asked the vampire. Which now had her full attention back at Khara.

"No, I don't know them." The vampire said. Khara nodded.

"Right then, it would seem for now, we have a common enemy." Khara spoke as she slowly made her way away from the vampire. "Just, stay where you are." She then remembered that the woman was still shackled. _The Archmage of Winterhold, ladies and gentlemen, the smartest person in the hold_. She thought to herself.

The vampire simply replied with a tilt of her head, her free arm finding its place on her hip.  
"Will do." Is all she said.

Khara shook her head. _Idiot._ "Sorry. Just get their attention, I promise I won't let them draw their swords." Before the vampire could respond, Khara was long gone. _What in oblivion? Where did she go?_ The vampire was a little surprised by the skill of the mortal, not many could so easily fade into the shadows like that.

Before she could think any more of it, two pair of boots stood where the mortal was only moments ago. She raised her head and met eyes of that of a lesser vampire.

"What the? Who are you? Where is Lokil?" The lesser vampire spoke with anger as his thrall simply stood next to him looking as brain dead as always.

She was about to respond, but then she spotted a shadow on top of a pillar close to the thrall. It was her mortal. She then looked over to a corpse of a vampire, _that must be Lokil._ She concluded before looking at the vampire in front of her. She raised her hand and pointed to the corpse of his fallen ally. "I would guess that is Lokil." She stated.

The vampire's eyes went wide before he stepped closer to her. "Who did this? Where are they?!" He yelled, panic plastered all over his face.

She looked up at the pillar and smiled and she regained eye contact with the vampire.  
" _They_ are right here." She said as she nodded to the pillar.

The lesser vampire spun around, his thrall turning with him.

Khara jumped down and rolled between the two, rose to her feet and plunged her dagger into the thrall's skull before quickly letting go of the dagger and grabbing her blade that was now on the ground right next to her. She dodged the vampire's swings as she cut his leg, forcing him to fall on a knee. He parried with her blade before she kicked him where she had cut him, his grip on his sword weakened and Khara drove her blade down into his shoulder, ending his life in a swift move.

She grabbed the dagger and sheathed it before looking at the vampire woman. She then shook her head. "Who are you? It's clear that you are important, why else would these vampires be putting so much effort into finding you." Khara asked as she searched her pouch for something. "Why were you locked away like this?" She said as she found what she was looking for, keeping it hidden from view.

"That's…Well, it's complicated. And I don't know if I can trust you." The vampire woman said as she looked away.

Khara could see that she was holding something back. She narrowed her eyes. "This isn't just about trust, there's more."

The vampire turned her attention back at Khara. "You're right, but letting you know too much would be dangerous. However-" Their eyes met. "-If you want to know the whole story." The vampire raised her shackled hand before continuing.  
"How about releasing me and helping me get back home." She knew this was a shot in the dark, but something about this mortal made her want to trust her.

Khara, thought about it for a little while before walking closer to the vampire. "If you try something, or bite me or whatever…. Just don't do that please." The last sentence almost came out as a plea. Khara removed her other gauntlet and used the lock pick, that she had taken out of her pouch, on the shackle. She was now standing very close to the vampire, she caught her scent. _Like mountain flower and lavender_.

"I don't think that will do it, these shackles are very old and extremely…" _Click._ "Hard to unlock." The vampire finished as the shackle dropped from her hand. She pulled her hand to her chest and held it, she looked at the mortal once more and smiled for the first time, and Khara noticed. "Thank you." She said.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Khara responded as she gave the vampire some space, which the vampire appreciated. "So about your home, where is it?"

"It's off the coast on an island, to the west of Solitude." Khara nodded. The vampire slightly tilted her head. Then stepped closer to the mortal who straightened at her approach. _Guarded, always on alert_. The vampire thought. "Since we're going to be traveling together for a little while…" The vampire brought her hand up to introduce herself. Khara looked at it for a second before accepting it. "I'm Serana, good to meet you." She said with a small smile. Both pair of eyes went down to their hand as a small spark went off as they touched. It felt like, _like ice and fire colliding_. They thought at the same time.

Khara tilted her head a little now as she spoke. "Likewise, I'm Khara."

 _Interesting name_. Serana thought, however her thinking was quickly interrupted when a certain smell hit her. It was her turn to stand with wide eyes, _she's a werewolf_!  
Serana quickly placed her hand on her short sword and took a step back. "You're a werewolf. Why didn't you say?" She said

"It would make for an awkward introduction, don't you think?" Khara responded calmly as she raised her hands to show Serana that she had no weapons in them. "Don't worry, I won't _wolf_ out on you. Just as vampires, werewolfs can learn to control themselves." Serana simply nodded.

"Sorry, I was just caught off guard is all." Serana said after a moment and let her arm fall from her sword.

Khara looked around before turning her head at the vampire, at Serana. "Don't be, people have reacted worse than you did when they found out." Khara spoked as she looked around. "Do you know the way out of here? The entrance I used seems to be blocked." She said as she could see where she had entered was now completely covered with rocks of all sizes. _Must have fallen down when the floor started moving_.

"No, this place looks so much different from when I was locked away. What about over there?" Serana said as she looked and nodded over to another stone bridge. Khara followed her gaze.

"Might as well check it out, be on the look though. I doubt we're the only ones left in this crypt." Khara said as she took lead and walked over to the bridge, Serana right beside her.

As they made their way over the bridge two statues could be seen. Khara had spotted some of them on her way in earlier.

"Watch out for those statues, they are gargoyles." Serana spoke, when the only response she got was Khara looking at her with her head tilted, she continued. "They are magical creatures, they might look like statues now, but get closer and they will turn alive and attack." She explained.

Khara let out a low hum. "I saw some of them earlier, though they didn't do anything. I'm guessing after messing with your puzzle, they've been activated somehow?" She said as she held her blade, eyes on the statues.

Serana smiled at the response. "Most likely. They are very common for being guardians to vampires. I'm sure you can see why." Serana herself didn't know much about them, only that they we're created with blood-magic. Her mother was always the one who knew about things like these. _Where are you mother? And where is father? Did we truly leave things as bad as I remember_? Serana shook her thoughts away.

The duo walked over the bridge and just as Serana had said, the two statues, the gargoyles broke out of their stone prisons as they roared and locked eyes with them. They charged only a moment later.

Khara drew her blade whilst Serana charged up her magic, with blade and spell ready in hand, they made their attack. Khara charged towards the closest gargoyle while Serana focused on the one in the back, who we're having difficulties joining its fellow beast in combat as Serana showered it with destruction spells.

Khara was countering every swipe of claw that came towards her and she managed to hit the beast in the chest, effectively slowing it down for a moment. And a moment was all she needed. Once again, she grabbed her dagger and planted it in the skull of her foe, killing the beast. She pulled her dagger out and ran over to her next target.

Serana saw that Khara were closing in on her gargoyle and slowed down with the spells, taking more time to aim, making sure she didn't hit the werewolf. Khara was now running at full speed and wasn't planning on slowing down, as she came up to the gargoyle she quickly swept to the right and then back to the left to dodge an attack. She jumped and quickly drove her blade in its neck with a swift move before her feet met the ground. She took a few steps forward before turning around, only to see that the gargoyle was falling to the ground and that Serana was making her way over to her.

It was only now that Khara spotted something on the vampires back, however she could not see what is was as it was wrapped in some leather. She was going to ask what it was, but quickly decided against it.

"You have a unique fighting style, very unpredictable." Serana said as they were now next to each other. They started walking over to some stairs.

"Thanks, I was always told that in the second your enemies understand you fighting pattern, you've already lost." Khara responded before looking at the vampire. "You're not too bad yourself, I saw your spells, they weren't apprentice level ones. It must have taken you years to be able to cast them so easily." Serana smiled.

"It took a while, yes. After a few centuries, I got the hang of it. Time was, as I'm sure you can understand, never really a problem." Serana said as she began to climb the stairs with Khara.

"Right, because you don't age." Khara said amused, successfully making the two of them chuckle. It also gave her another thing which she was wondering about. "Just how long have you been in here? Your accent doesn't sound like any I've ever heard." One could hear the curiosity in her voice.

Serana narrowed her eyes playfully at the wolf. "Haven't you ever heard that you aren't supposed to ask a Lady that question?" She responded, earning a snort and a little laugh from Khara. "To be honest though, I'm not sure. But it feels like I've been in this place for a long time, who is Skyrim's High King?" She asked as she looked at the young wolf. They were now in front of a gate leading to another room.

"That's actually a matter for debate." Khara said as she now turned to face Serana.

"Oh, wonderful. A war of succession. Good to know that the world didn't get boring while I was asleep. Who are the contenders?" She asked. Khara walked over to a lever and pulled it.

"Well, the Empire supports Elisif's rule, but many of the natives supports the rebellion led by Ulfric, the Jarl of Windhelm." She said as they made their way into the new room.

Serana stopped for a moment. "Empire? What are you talking about, what empire?" Serana asked confused as she caught up with Khara.

It was Khara's time to stop now, she turned to face her again. " _The_ Empire, from Cyrodiil." Serana's eyes went wide.

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire? I've must have been gone for longer than I thought." Serana said as she pinched her nose and closed her eyes. "Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so that I can figure out what's happening, this is all so confusing." Khara nodded and they walked down some stairs, the room they were in looked like an old Nordic version of an arena. There were seats around the place that had a few skeletons and a draugr sitting on them, currently in a deep slumber.

Khara crouched down and told Serana to do the same. She grabbed her crossbow and aimed it at a skeleton, after a minute and a few bolts, all the skeletons were now dead, for real. She reloaded it before speaking. "See that draugr over there, the one on the throne?" She asked as she nodded towards it. Serana looked at the undead creature and turned her eyes back to Khara, she gave a small nod.

"It's a Deathlord, one of the more powerful undead. Don't get too close, they are not to be underestimated." She said as she raised her crossbow. "Ready?" She asked Serana.

"Yes, let's get this done with." Was her response.

Khara let the bolt fly and hit its target, hitting the Deathlord in the shoulder, making its sword arm useless. The draugr raised from its seat and drew its sword with the other arm.

"Dir Volaan, Qiilan Us Dilon! Zu'u fen oblaan hi!" The Deathlord yelled in its old hoarse voice as it made its way towards them.

Khara drew her blade and yelled back. "Bo ruz, hin braan diil saraan fah hi!" Her words made the draugr roar as is sprinted towards her. Khara charged while Serana had already started her own assault. Serana had used her skills to rise two of the lifeless skeletons to fight for her, she commanded them to attack the Deathlord and so they did.

Khara met the draugr's ebony sword with her own blade as they both fought to see the other's demise. The Deathlord used his unnatural strength to stagger Khara as he kept pushing her back towards a wall. The draugr summoned a little more of its strength as it tried a power attack, one that Khara rolled away from. The two skeletons were now alongside Khara, ready to fight with her as Serana kept the Deathlord slowed down with her ice spells.

The Deathlord turned and faced the werewolf and her newly risen allies, as the skeletons charged their target, Khara plunged her blade into the dirt floor below her as she summoned a fire spell in both hands. The skeletons were keeping the Deathlord busy as she and Serana were sending never ending waves of frost and fire magic at the three undead. The draugr pushed the skeletons back before taking an intake of air. Khara knew what it was doing. At the same time, she too took a breath of air. " _FUS RO DAH_! _"_ The draugr shouted. A blue force field was making its way towards them, however Khara was quick to respond with a shout of her own.

" _WULD NAH KEST_!" She yelled right after, followed by a thundering sound.

Serana's eyes almost couldn't believe what they were seeing, the draugr had shouted. Something she thought was a long-lost art. It's safe to say that she got even more surprised when another shout could be heard, but this one however didn't come from the draugr. _This day just keeps getting more and more interesting._ She mused to herself as she saw Khara moving towards the Deathlord at an incredible speed. Khara easily ignored the draugr's shout as she moved through the forcefield, aiming her sword for the draugr's head. Serana could not see what happened as the force of the shouts had made dust cover the scene in front of her. She walked closer with her two skeletons protectively standing between her and where all the dust was, as it stared to fade she could see two forms, neither were moving.

Khara had placed her sword neatly through the Deathlord's mouth, making it come out on the back of its head. She pulled her blade out and sheathed it to her belt. She turned around to see that the two skeletons had collapsed to the ground and she raised her eyes to meet Serana's. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"You have secrets, things you aren't comfortable sharing with others. We all have secrets, I won't pry on yours if you don't pry on mine, Serana." Khara said. She didn't mean to sound rude or disrespectful. Luckily for her, Serana understood as she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Khara gave a small nod before walking over to a word wall, searching it for new words of power. In the back of her mind she could hear a voice repeating a word, _Gaan_. She heard the word within herself before fully understanding its meaning, _Stamina_. Khara turned from the wall and looked at what she guessed to be the exit.

Serana made sure to remember to ask Khara how she came to learn the language of dragons and how she could shout as they did. But for now, she decided to respect the wolfs request, thus keeping her questions to herself for now.

They made way over to the supposed exit, and was met by another gate with a lever, on the other side they could both see beams of light. "Finally, it'll be good to get out of this cave, the air down here is filled with dust." Serana spoke as she walked over to the lever. Khara right on her heels.

"Yes, there was a storm building up just before I entered this cave. Hopefully its over or at least calmed down a little." Khara said as she pulled the lever, making their path clear.

Excited to breathe fresh air for the first time in gods knows how long, Serana made her way out of the cave opening quite fast. Something Khara found amusing. She followed her newly found companion and stood next to her, looking around for anyone or anything. Her view however wasn't the greatest as the storm were still going strong, snow flying past them at a fast pace, making it near impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. _This is what I get for opening my damned mouth._ Khara scolded herself. She looked over to the vampire and saw that she was slightly shivering.

Khara removed her fur cloak and pulled it over the unaware vampire's shoulders. Making Serana give her a small smile. "Come, Morthal isn't far. If we can make it down this mountain in one piece, it's only an hour to walk at most." Khara said as she walked, following the small mountain road downwards. Serana hugged herself as she too started walking, coming up alongside Khara.

After making their way down the mountain they found the road leading into town only a few moments later. As they we're getting closer to town Khara spoke once more. "Morthal had a little vampire problem not long ago, many of the inhabitants here have bad experiences with vampires. Best to keep that hood up and try to avoid making eye contact with anyone." Khara said as she eyed the vampire while they walked.

"What happened here?" Serana asked.

"Long story short, a group of vampires were trying to take control of the town. They failed of course, but the townsfolk had casualties, including a young girl." Khara answered her. They could now see lanterns and torches in front of them.

"I see, I'll follow your lead." Serana said as they were now making their way over to the local tavern, Moorside Inn it was called. Khara nodded as she opened the door for Serana.

"Take a seat in the corner, I'll get us some rooms." Serana walked over to the corner as she was told. She noticed that there weren't too many in here, a bard, the barkeeper and half a dozen patrons. She could see Khara speaking with the barkeeper and shaking her hand after being handed some keys.

As Khara sat down next to Serana with her back leaning against the wall, she could see that no one were paying them any attention. "Here, your room is the one on the far right." She said as she handed Serana a key.  
Khara had chosen to sit in the corner of the tavern mainly due to the darkness which resided there. Khara placed her sword next to her on the bench and took off her gauntlet. She then slid down a bit on the bench to get more comfortable. She pulled her hood further up to make sure no one could see her face, _better safe than sorry_. She thought.

Serana had looked at her before taking the key. After placing it in her pocket she could see that the barkeeper was walking towards them with a plate in hand as well as two bottles. "Here you go, it's on the house. It's the least I can do." The woman said as she gave a little nod to the two women who sat before him.

"Thank you, Jonna." Khara said as Jonna, the barkeeper, placed the plate and the two bottles on the table in front of them. Then walked back to the bar to talk with some customers. On the plate, there were two bowls of beef stew as well as two bottles of Honningbrew mead.

"Did you order this?" Serana asked.

Khara chuckled. "No, Jonna likes to give me free food whenever I visit, I helped her once with a little thief problem and since then, free food and drinks. I tried to pay once, but she wouldn't have it, woman is as stubborn as a Nord. I'll just have to _accidently_ drop some gold on the counter when we leave." Khara said as she grabbed two cups and looked at Serana. "Do you drink, Serana?" She asked as she poured one cup.

Serana looked at the bottles and grabbed one of them. "I've never tried this." Serana said as she examined the bottle. Khara smiled as she filled the other cup and offered it to Serana.

She took the cup from Khara and smiled she then tasted the beverage. "It's sweet." She said as she drank some more. Khara took one bowl and turned to face the front of them. She pulled down her mask as she started to eat, after all that had happened today, she was extremely hungry. Due to her clever positioning Serana could still not see her face. However, she could see some straws of hair, the wolf had hair as white as the purest snow. But if it did anything it only made the vampire more curious to what the wolf looked like.

"You're not going to take of your hood?" The vampire asked.

"Nah, that would sort of ruin the whole mysterious-stranger-thing I got going on." She responded as she enjoyed her soup. Serana only shook her head at the woman's humor. "Are you hungry?" Khara asked.

"You mean _thirsty_? Yes, a little." Serana answered and watched as Khara took her now empty cup and brought it over to herself, she took something out of her pouch. Khara raised her head only for a moment to make sure no one were watching her before filling the cup with a red liquid. She then gave it back to Serana. The vampire took it and then looked at her again. "One of the vampires back in the cave had it on him. I thought it might come in handy, so I took it."

Serana said nothing as she drank from the cup, even though it was bottled blood, it was still better than nothing. She could feel the liquid make its way down her throat and slowly warmed her cold body. Her senses heighten as the blood awoke something within her, and she was first now noticing that her rescuer had a bloodied rag around her left hand. The smell of dried blood hit her like a giant's mace, never had she ever smelled anything quite like it. The scent was unique to say the least, this woman, whoever she might be, were more than just some werewolf. The was something in her blood that held power, raw power. She kept wondering, unaware that Khara had finished her stew and was now looking at her, mask yet again covering everything except her eyes.

Serana did notice the pair of eyes on her after a little while.  
"What happened to your hand?" She asked as she looked at the bloodied hand.

Khara looked down to her wounded hand and held it with her other one. "I had to press a button in order to open your tomb, turns out it was more than just a button." She answered as she slowly removed the cloth.

"So, you just travel around the hold exploring caves and dungeons, pressing random buttons whenever you see one?" Serana asked amused. Khara's shoulders shook as she chuckled at the vampire's humor. Khara then replaced the used bandage around her hand with a new one.

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds foolish. It's just, I can't help myself when it comes to buttons, levers and switches. My curiosity simply takes over." She answered the vampire, amused by the conversation they were now having. A little yawn escaped from her.

"You should rest, there is still a long distance to walk." Serana said as she looked at the wolf. Khara nodded and rose from the bench, grabbing her gear and standing in front of Serana.

"You're right." She said. "I have a horse in the stables here that you can use while I…." She looked around before lowering her voice, making sure that the only person who could hear her was the vampire.  
"Take on my wolf form. We'll leave once it gets dark, alright?" She asked Serana.

"Sounds good, rest well." Serana said with a smile as Khara gave a small nod and walked over then into a room. Serana sat around a little longer before she too retired into her own room.

Hours passed as the two women sat in their own rooms, unaware what the both were thinking about the other. People laughing and talking could be heard through the thin wooden walls of the inn. Serana could hear the heartbeats to everyone inside the building if she concentrated enough, there were more people in here now than before. However, over all the heartbeat going in different speeds, one could clearly be heard over the others, as is held a strong and even rhythm. _That's the wolf_. She thought. Serana could tell by her heartbeat that she wasn't sleeping, but resting none the less. As the sounds around them slowly faded away, Serana knew without having to look outside, that night was upon them. She made her way out for the room and into the main hall of the inn. She spotted Khara and saw that she was talking to the barkeeper and placing a little bag of coins on the desk before quickly turning around and sprinting towards the door leading out.

As Khara ran past Serana, she grabbed her companion by her upper arm and pulled her with her as they ran out of the inn. Serana couldn't help but let a little yelp escape her lips as she didn't expect to be dragged out of the inn. When outside, Khara lead her over to the stables. Back at the inn you could see Jonna, the innkeeper, looking around with an annoyed expression on her face and a bag of gold in her hand. Serana knew what was up.

"I see that you _accidently_ lost that bag of gold, hmmm?" She said as she looked at the woman in front of her. Khara laughed as she nodded.

"Woman had it coming, she can't just keep giving away Honningbrew mead for free." Was Khara's answer. They walked over to the town stables and Khara talked to the stablemaster, who later walked off to get her horse.

"We'll have to stay off the main roads, I can't imagine people reacting well to seeing a werewolf." As she spoke, Khara brought out a map that was incredibly detailed and probably had the most notes on it Serana had ever seen on a map before. Serana watched as Khara wrote _Dimhollow Crypt_ on the side of a mountain, _that must have been that cave she found me in._ Khara's writing style was flawless, art almost.

"You certainly do a lot of traveling, don't you? This map in incredible, it must have taken you a while to have travel to all these places." Serana spoke in awe as her eyes roamed the map that was now laid out before her. She had always enjoyed traveling and couldn't help herself to envy Khara on all the adventures she had surely been on.

"Yes, my umm…My duties require me to move around a lot." Khara said carefully, not fully ready to share all her titles and responsibilities with the vampire just yet. As much as Serana wanted to know more about Khara, she knew not to push the matter. The wolf had not asked more about Serana and her past, so the least she could do was to treat her with the same kindness. As Khara took the map and placed it back in her pouch, the stablemaster had brought Khara's horse over to them.

Khara took the steed, she and Serana then started walking out of town after paying the stable master. After walking for a little while they ditched the road and went into the wilderness. Khara scanned the area they were now in before strapping her blade and dagger onto the horse, she then looked at Serana. "Okay, are you ready? Or is there anything you wanted to ask? After I transform I won't be able to talk, our communication will be very _basic_." She said as she held Serana's eyes.

"I'm ready, but won't transforming now destroy your armor?" Serana asked. She didn't know much about werewolves, but she knew a little.

"For a normal werewolf, it would." Khara answered before removing her gauntlet and raising her hand for Serana to see. There was a ring on her ring finger that had a unique design, a wolf's head.  
"This is the ring of Lord Hircine, it allows werewolves to take on the form of the wolf whenever they want. It has powerful enchantments on it that makes it so that my armor won't be damaged under the transformation." Khara said before removing the ring and handed it to Serana. The vampire's eyes widened a little as she opened her palm, Khara then placed it in her hand before turning back to her steed, making sure the straps would hold.

Serana looked at the ring and inspected it carefully, taking in every detail.  
"I've never seen anything like it, I can feel it's enchantments." Serana said as the ring started shaking a little, making the vampire a little worried. "Um, Khara? Is this supposed to happen?" She asked.

Khara turned back to Serana and laughed at the scene before her. Serana stood as still as a statue as her eyes were wide looking at the dancing ring in her hand. It was an amusing sight to say the least.  
"It knows you're not a werewolf or a champion of Hircine, it's trying to find its owner." Khara said with an amused voice as she raised her hand, aiming her ring finger at Serana's hand. The ring then quieted down with its movements before flying towards Khara's pointed out finger, successfully placing itself where it belongs.

"The Huntsman of the Princes certainly knows how to make them." Serana said impressed by what had just happened in front of her.

"Aye, that he does." Khara answered before putting her gauntlet back on her hand and taking a few steps back, preparing herself for the transformation. Knowing what she was doing, Serana grabbed the horse in case it would be frightened by the wolf.

Khara inhaled air as she bowed her head down, closing her eyes. _It's time to show yourself, my wolf_. Khara said in her mind and was answered by an extended howl, her wolf aspect had answered, making Khara smirk. A dark mist appaired at her feet, quickly climbing her form. It was now covering her whole body, successfully making it impossible to see the woman covered by it. Khara opened her eyes and Serana could see that her blue soft-glowing eyes grew a little in size as well as in height.

Serana could hear the wolf's heartbeat growing stronger, the breathing louder and the blood in its veins flowing faster. The dark mist fell to the ground and simply faded a moment later, revealing the wolf's form. Serana had seen drawings of werewolves before and read stories, they had red or black eyes, dark fur and were vicious, hideous beasts. But, the creature that was standing before her  
was not like the ones in the books, it's fur was as white as snow and looked like it was as soft as the finest silk. Its eyes had not changed, as the soft glowing blue yet remained on the wolf's calm facial expression. This wasn't a mindless savage beast, it was Khara.

The wolf looked at the woman standing in front of her, Khara saw that Serana was taking in her form. Khara lowered herself a little, still standing higher than the vampire, and walked a little closer. She stopped before her and tilted its head, making Serana's lips form a small smile.

"I'm sorry if I'm starting." She said as her eyes roamed the white wolfs face before continuing. "You look different from what I expected is all." The wolf huffed, earning a short laugh from Serana. "A good kind different, I promise." The wolf's ears pointed towards her and Serana swears on her blood that its tail moved a little. Serana raised her hand and reached out to the wolf's head before stopping. "Can I?" She asked politely. The wolf lowered itself down on all four and lifted its head so that it touched the vampire's cool hand. On contact it was like ice and fire dancing together once again, yet it did not hurt either. Serana was surprised to find out the was right, the fur did feel like silk, it made her smile as she claimed the wolf's eyes. "You ready?" She asked, still smiling. The wolf gave a small growl and a nod. Serana mounted the steed and together with Khara, they started the final part their journey.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations**

 **Draugr Deathlord:** Dir Volaan, Qiilan Us Dilon! Zu'u fen oblaan hi! **\- Die Intruder, Kneel Before Dead! I will end you!**

 **Khara:** Bo ruz, hin braan diil saraan fah hi! - **Come then, your fellow undead awaits for you!**

This translation might not be 100% accurate, but at least you get the idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 2_

 _The journey home_

"I don't think this is it, boss." The bandit with the map said as he scratched his head. The leader of the group turned to him and angrily grabbed the map.

"It's here I tell you! Look, it's the same tower, same trees, same damn rocks! Keep looking, I want that treasure!" He roared as he looked at the two other bandits.

Khara and Serana had spotted their campfire a few hours after they had started traveling. They would've just have continued their journey, leaving the bandits to do whatever they were doing, but they had set up their damn camp in the middle of a little mountain pass, making it impossible to pass without being spotted. However, the situation gave Khara in idea. She looked over at Serana who had dismounted the horse and was now in a crouched position next to the white wolf.

Khara picked up an empty bottle, probably thrown away by the bandits, and held if for Serana to see. She used a finger to point at the vampire, Serana narrowed her eyes at the bottle before looking at the wolf, _what are you saying_? The wolf then lifted the bottle closer to Serana's face, closer to her mouth. Serana suddenly knew what she was asking, she could almost hear the wolf saying, _are you still thirsty?_ Serana looked over at the bandits before looking at Khara once more, smirking as she nodded. The wolf's eyes turned a shade brighter as it looked over at the three bandits, who were still unaware they were being watched.

Khara threw the bottle over towards the bandits, hitting the stone wall in front of them making it so they all had their backs facing to the duo lurking in the shadows. She then leapt over the fallen tree they had used as cover and let out a hair-raising howl while she ran on all fours towards the bandits. Before they could even turn their heads, the wolf was upon them. Khara had chosen to start with the leader of the group, the one in the middle. She took a hold of the Nord by the shoulders and forced him to the ground, her claws digging into his flesh. The wolf then sunk her teeth into his spine, paralyzing the fool.

As the two other bandits finally understood what was happening to them, they jumped back and drew their weapons, one an axe, the other summoned a fire spell. Serana moved fast to get behind the mage and grabbed her wrist, making the spell fly in the direction of where she was only a moment ago. In panic, the woman turned around only to be met with orange glowing eyes, eyes that looked awfully hungry. The woman then tried to hit Serana with her fist, only to find that now, the vampire held both her hands.

The other bandit had now moved closer to Khara, who was still busy with their leader, and raised his axe. Khara straightened up and looked over at the man only to see an axe on its way to meet her head, she quickly ducked, avoiding the attack. The bandit looked down at her, he was now furious, but even though Khara was for the moment out for harm's way, the axe still managed to hit something. The man's eyes went wide as he was now looking at his female companion, his very decapitated companion. "No! You _monster_! I'll skin you alive!" He shouted, as he tried to strike Khara again. Serana let go of the now dead woman's wrist and walked over her corpse, coming up on the side of the last bandit. Khara went down on all four as she crawled a few feet away from the man. He moved over to the wolf, who was only looking at him, and raised his axe one more time.

As he was about to strike the wolf, something cold held his arm in place, Serana had grabbed his wrist. He looked at the vampire before trying to free his arm, he was surprised when his movements didn't even make the vampire blink. Serana squeezed his arm with her vampiric strength, which forced the man down on his knees and making him scream in pain as she crushed his bones.

Khara looked at the two in front of her, the man was kneeling before Serana as she held his wrist and looked down at him. The moon was behind them making the whole scene even more interesting to the wolf's eyes.

"No please, I'll do whatever you want!" He cried out.

Serana kicked the man in the head, knocking him out cold. Then proceeded to kneel down to the man and grabbed him, pulling him closer to her face. She sank her fangs down into his neck, in the second red divine-liquid entered her mouth, Serana's eyes were forced shut. _By the blood_. A small sound escaped her. Never had blood from a lowlife ever tasted this sweet. This was her first _fresh_ meal since she had awoken.

Khara's eyes couldn't move from the sight in front of her, watching Serana feed from a victim was something else indeed, the wolf was entranced with the vampire. The wolf's ears managed to hear a little sound, making it release a sound of its own, a small whimper. Before Serana could open her eyes, Khara stood up and walked over to fetch their horse.

As the wolf walked away, Serana had finished her meal. She walked over to the leader, who now had a huge hole in his back, and grabbed his map and looked at it. She was about to check the other corpses, but was interrupted by what sounded like a confused growl. She turned around and walked towards the sounds owner, only to find the wolf standing where the horse had been tied with a burned rope in one hand and the dagger and blade in the other. Khara looked up at Serana and tilted her head, clearly confused.

Serana then connected the dots, she bowed down and gripped her thighs as she laughed. Khara's ears pointed towards the vampire as she didn't understand what was so funny. Serana straighten up, now chuckling as she took the rope from the wolfs hand and looked into blue eyes. "When I grabbed the mage it made her spell fly over here, it must have hit the rope." She tilted her head a little. "Our luck, huh?" She said smiling. The wolf shook its head as it made some small sounds, _is she laughing?_ Serana thought as she smiled. She then dropped the rope and started walking towards the mountain pass, only stopping when she noticed that she was walking alone. She turned around.

Khara was looking at the moon, closing her eyes a moment later. A small dark similar mist appearing at her feet, once again covering the wolf's whole form. As the mist started disappearing, Khara walked out of it, now wearing her ebony armor, mask and all. She placed her blade on her back and her dagger on the back of her belt as she walked towards the vampire.

Serana smiled to her companion and handed her the map the bandits were looking at, Khara took it and snorted. "No wonder they didn't find the treasure, this isn't even the right hold." Serana looked at the map. "I know this place, it's down in the Pine Forest, in Falkreath Hold." Khara then looked at Serana. "Do you want to keep it, Serana?" She asked.

"No, you take it. I don't even know my way to this Pine Forest, I would probably get lost." She answered with a small smile. Khara nodded, rolled it up and placed it in her pouch. They then started walking. "So, what's your home like if you don't mind me asking." Khara said as she was walking next to her companion, hungry for a conversation. Serana turned her head and smiled.

"Well it's on an island, so it's very isolated. It's an old castle, Castle Volkihar. It's like a safe haven for vampires." She answered, she didn't mind sharing this with the wolf.

"Castle Volk-Hii-ar? That's an odd name." Khara said, she turned her head to Serana and asked, with a hint of humor in her voice. "I don't have to call you _Lady_ Serana now, do I?" She teased.

Serana snorted. "Gods, _no_! You do that and there will be serious consequences." She said amused. The only response she got from Khara was a very funny looking bow as she placed one arm on her back and the other making weird gestures in the air.

Serana gave her a gentle push in the shoulder as they laughed at their silliness. "Dork." She mumbled, making Khara chuckle.

It wasn't much further now, just through this pass and then they only needed to make their way down to the coast. They walked in a comfortable silence as they descended from the mountain, even with all the snow that was currently falling, they could see the coast now in the distance.

When they had made it all the way down, Khara took out a healing potion and a new bandage and replaced the old one around her hand, the wound was slowly healing. They were now closing in on a small dock that had a boat tied to it.

"How's the hand?" Serana asked.

"It's getting better, another day or two and it should be back to normal." Khara answered as she raised her head, she could see something out in the water. Khara raised her hand to cover her eyes from the harsh weather and looked beyond the sea. Castle Volkihar laid before them, no wonder she had never seen or heard of it before. Even with the weather calming down, it was still hard to see the castle. If she didn't know it was there she would have easily overlooked it. "Even though I would love to see the inside of this castle, I don't think it's a good idea to let a werewolf into a place that could be filled with vampires." Khara said as she looked at the huge castle in the distant.

Serana walked up to stand alongside her rescuer. "Yes, I can't imagine the others have changed their opinions on your kind, even after all this time." She looked down at the ice-cold water in front of them. She had to admit that she wasn't all to glad about Khara leaving her side just yet. Even though their time traveling together had been short, she had enjoyed the young wolf's company. Khara's personality was just so different from what she was used to, a good kind of different. It felt, _fresh_.  
Khara had been kind to her, answering her questions and making the whole situation not as confusing to her. And most importantly, she had kept her promise of getting Serana home.  
She turned her head to the werewolf. "Look, I wanted to thank you for getting me this far, I know you didn't have to, so thanks." A small smile playing at her lips as she spoke.

Khara turned her head to look at the vampire with a small smile of her own, hidden from view. "It was no problem. As _fun_ as this little trip was, I have to admit, it was good to have some company for once." Even though Serana could not see her smile, she could certainly hear it.

"So, I owe you an explanation, don't I?" Serana said as she held the wolf's eyes. Khara only gave her a small nod. "The reason I was locked up is because of my parents. Long ago they found some kind of prophecy that would benefit vampires in some way, they didn't tell me much, but they had a disagreement." Serana placed her hands on her hip and looked at the castle. "Their _disagreement_ made it so that mother fled the castle taking me with her and two of these." Serana grabbed the item that was wrapped in leather from her back, and opened it. Khara's eyes widened. _It's an Elder Scroll_! _  
_"She told me I was in danger, but never said from what." Serana looked up at Khara. "But it's obvious that she didn't want father to have them. I don't know who I'll meet in there." She nodded towards the castle. "But either way, I don't think this will do much good in the hands of vampires." She gave a weak smile. "So can I ask you for one more favor?" She asked, her eyes searching Khara's.

"You want me to take it, why didn't you ask before?" Khara asked as she looked down at the scroll.

"I needed to know if you could be trusted, if you would keep your word. Even though I still don't know much about you, I can't imagine you being worse to whoever resides inside the castle." She said.

Khara looked at Serana and nodded, taking a few steps closer to the vampire.  
"I'll take it, I'll keep it safe. I'll put it somewhere no one will look." She said determined.

Serana let out a breath she had been holding. "Thank you, Khara." She handed it over to Khara, who hanged it over her shoulder. "You're still not going to remove that mask, are you?" She said.  
It was no question that Serana was wondering what she looked like. All she knew about the woman was that she was a Nord and that she had white hair and light skin. It's safe to say that the vampire simply wanted to know more about the woman who had freed her from her stone prison. Because the woman who stood before her was so very interesting to Serana, she could feel the woman's magica, she wondered why she could speak with the undead and how she could shout. How did she become a werewolf? Why did her eyes glow in that blue shade of hers? She wanted to know so much about Khara, but knew that their time together were nearing its end.

The werewolf lowered her head, chuckling as she shook it. "Afraid not." She brought her head back up to meet soft orange-glowing eyes. "But how about a deal? The next time we meet, you're allowed to take off the hood and mask." She offered.

Serana narrowed her eyes at the woman in front of her. "What makes you think that we will meet again?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

Khara looked at the vampire as she placed her hand to rest on the hilt of her blade and the other held the strap of the scroll's bag. "Well, I just gave you a reason, didn't I?" She answered. And smiled when she heard a little laugh escape from the vampire.

"It would seem so." Serana chuckled before she politely brought her hand out for Khara to shake. "Till next we meet then." She said with a smile firmly planted on her face.

Khara looked down at the offered hand and took a hold of it only a moment later, giving it a firm yet gentle squeeze. She then pulled the vampire into a brief, but friendly hug. Serana couldn't help but inhale through her nose, the scent of the wolf was pleasant. A mixture of fire and lavender if she had to guess. "Till next we meet." Khara said before letting go of her.

The gesture had surprised Serana, but quick reflexes made it so she returned the hug before it was over. She walked over to the enchanted boat that would take her to the castle. As she sat down she looked over to where she was only moments ago to see Khara's retreating form disappear into the storm. _She must have been waiting for me to get on the boat._ She thought to herself. _So very protective._ Yet again the wolf had managed to make Serana smile without even trying. The moment didn't last long though as Serana turned where she sat and looked at the castle in front of her.

"Home, sweet home." She mumbled under her breath as the memories of the home came crawling back to her mind, making the smile slowly fade away. She could only hope that things weren't as bad as she remembered.

 _Three weeks later_

Khara sat in her chair in front the fireplace as she lazily held a goblet of wine in one hand and a book in the other. She lowered her book as the burning firewood made a crackling sound, she looked into the flames, fascinated by the way it danced around. The color of the fire made Khara smile as it reminded her of a certain someone, or a certain someone's eyes rather. _Serana._ Saying the name in her mind made her wolf howl with excitement. It had been almost a month since she had left the vampire. It puzzled her that the vampire was still in her thoughts, _she certainly made an impression_. It was clear to her that her wolf aspect liked Serana, the thing was basically howling in joy every time the vampire looked at her. And she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy it as well.

Khara felt a strange feeling building in her chest, _what's this?_ She placed her hand over it and rubbed gently. She could hear her wolf howl in her mind and she now understood what the feeling was, _I know girl, I miss her too_.

Khara drank what little remained in her goblet before placing the book in the bookshelf and walking towards her bedchamber. As she undressed to her undergarments and went under the covers, she closed her eyes and got comfortable, she let sleep claim her as her final thoughts were that of a certain vampire.

Beams of light were dancing on Khara's face, ever so slowly waking her up. She was laying on her stomach as she turned her head, opening her eyes to the empty space next to her, a line appeared between her brows as she ran her hand over the area. _Wouldn't it be nice_ … She sat up and forced the thoughts out of her mind. It was foolish of her to think such thoughts, even though she did feel incredibly lonely at times, it was her burden to carry. Because she was _The Dragonborn_ , who could possibly be safe with her? You don't save the world without making a few enemies, Khara knew this. But she couldn't help herself at times, sometimes thoughts of another's loving embrace was simply too tempting. She had never been with anyone before, but the thought of being in love, being so close and connected to someone else sounded divine to her.

She got out of bed and washed her face before putting on her armor and weapons. She then walked out of her home and was met with the cool morning breeze. It was still early in the morning so, only the shop keepers were out on the streets, making final preparations before opening their shops for the day.

Khara walked through the streets of Solitude, her most liked city in Skyrim. After she had helped Jarl Elisif deal with The Wolf Queen, Potema Septim, Khara was rewarded Proudspire Manor from the Jarl herself, a gift she gladly accepted.

She walked over to the main gate and the guards gladly opened it for her. "Safe travels, Thane." One guard said as he bowed his head as she passed the man.

"Thank you." She politely responded as she gave a small nod to the guard. She then made her way down to the town's stables to fetch her horse. She was forced to buy a new horse as the old one ran away a few weeks back, when she was with Serana. She was to ride to Whiterun. After having given the Elder Scroll that Serana gave her to a very dear friend of hers, she had been approached by a courier. The letter she received was from the Companions in Whiterun, they had requested her appearance to Jorrvaskr to discuss the recent vampire attacks. Apparently, according to the letter, vampire attacks were becoming more and more frequent throughout the entire province. She had accepted their request and sent a letter back telling them that she would be there within two days.

She was handed her steed and mounted it after paying the fee. With her horse fully fed and rested and with the wind to their backs, she made her way over to Whiterun fast. Khara was glad that nothing or no one had slowed them down as she rode to her destination. She only stopped once to let the horse drink from a stream, before riding the final few miles. It didn't take long after entering the hold that she found herself at the Whiterun stables. As Whiterun Hold is a very open one, one could easily ride over the open plains, straight towards the city in short time.

Khara left her horse in the hands of the man in charge of the stables and made her way up to the town gates. The guards recognized her and opened the gate for their Thane, The Dragonborn. Khara walked through the gates and entered the city, while walking towards Jorrvaskr, Khara made sure to return all the greetings she received by the townsfolk. Her reputation in Whiterun was as good as it was in Solitude, if not better. Her relationship with the citizens of the hold, as well as the Jarl, was a very friendly one.

Before her laid the legendary hall of the Companions, Jorrvaskr. She didn't know much about the Mead Hall, only that it was the oldest building in the city and that it was apparently made from a longboat called Return.

As she climbed the final steps, Khara opened the door to the hall, a strong smell of wolves was the first thing that greeted her. She knew that the highest-ranking members of the Companions, The Circle as they called themselves, were werewolves. Even though they all shared the blood of the wolf, she wasn't a part of their pack. Khara had received her wolf aspect from Lord Hircine himself after gaining his favor after hunting down a rogue werewolf, thus making her a more powerful kind of werewolf compared to the Companions. A few heads turned to look at Khara as she was inside their hall, however only her fellow werewolves kept their eyes on her as she walked through the room and down towards the sleeping quarters. She descended the stairs and walked over to Kodlak Whitemane's room, the Harbinger of the Companions.

She raised her hand to knock on his door, but as always, the old man had already caught her scent. The opened the door and he let Khara in and lead her over to a table with two chairs. "Please, take a seat, Dragonborn. There is much to discuss." He said as he offered a cup of mead.

Khara politely accepted and then asked.  
"In the letter you said something about vampires? They're attacking more cities now?" She asked, eager to have this business done with. She didn't disrespect Kodlak, if anything she had a lot of respect for the man. But his fellow werewolves made sure to let Khara know that she didn't belong in Jorrvaskr, she wasn't one of them. Werewolves are extremely territorial and they probably didn't even know they were doing it, but nonetheless Khara didn't want to stay too long.

"Yes, I have reports that they are getting bolder, even attacking during the day. We are to believe that the attacks are connected somehow." Kodlak answered.

"Connected? You think they're working together?" Khara asked with a surprised voice. Kodlak nodded.

"We have managed to slay a few of them, they all had the same letter on them." He then handed over a letter to Khara that had a little blood on it. "Excuse the blood." He said.

Khara took it and read.

 _My fellow vampires, the time has come. Long have we waited, but finally the time is upon us. I have received news of a moth priest who are to arrive in Skyrim in the following days. My sources tell me that it's an Imperial male going by the name, Dexion Evicus. This man is to be captured, alive. Whoever can bring him to me will be rewarded with a room in my court._

 _Lord Harkon._

Khara placed the letter on the table and thought, _Lord Harkon, the vampire back in Dimhollow mentioned that name_. "Do we know who this Harkon is or where he is?" She asked the old man.

"I'm afraid not, but clearly he is a man of power. Many vampires know the name, yet none have given us any information about him." He said and sighed. Khara nodded.

"If vampires are running wild attacking citizens throughout the Holds then we have to tell the people. They have the right to know about the danger." She looked at the man, awaiting his answer.

"Agreed, I've already asked the other members of the Circle and the Jarl to meet us outside at the rear dining area." Kodlak explained as he rose from his seat.

They walked in silence as they left the warm comfort that Jorrvaskr had to offer and stepped outside. They were greeted by the other members of the Circle, The Jarl and his Housecarl, Irileth as they all sat down around the table. Khara couldn't help but shift a little in her seat as she could _feel_ the hostilities illuminating from the other wolves. She knew that some of them didn't mean to, it just came natural to them. She would probably act this way herself if someone she didn't know entered her home, so she did her best to ignore it.

"Right, we're here to discuss the growing vampire problem. As you all know, there have been reports of vampires attacking people throughout the while province. We need the people to know about the danger, we need to spread the word." Kodlak said.

The other Companions agreed with the decision, on the other side of the table however, The Jarl was quiet, lost in thoughts. "I haven't even heard about these vampire attacks, have you Dragonborn?" The Jarl asked, making eye contact with Khara.

"No, my Jarl, I have not." Khara said as now turned her head to Kodlak. "I do however trust The Harbinger's words, if he says that vampires are attacking, then I believe him." Her response earned her a nod of gratitude of Kodlak.

"I meant no disrespect, I simply don't want to spread false fear into the hearts of my people." The Jarl said.

"And I respect that, Jarl Balgruuf, but the reports don't lie. The people should be allowed to defend themselves." Kodlak responded. Jarl Balgruuf thought for a little while before answering.

"Aye, you're right." Balgruuf said before looking at his Housecarl, Irileth. "Irileth, when we return let Proventus know that the Companions are to be allowed to use my ravens."

The Housecarl nodded as she spoke. "As you wish, my Jarl."

Minutes turned into hours as the group discussed why the vampires were suddenly so aggressive and why they were looking for a moth priest of all things. The sun had already retired for the day and Khara was tempted to do the same. As the rest of the group talked, Khara lost interest and looked towards the huge mountain in the distant. Her thoughts wandered to every corner of her mind as she looked at the scenery, before looking at the old wall in front of her.

Khara thought that for a second she was hallucinating as she swore she saw a dark form leaning over the wall. After closing and reopening her eyes, she knew that whatever she was looking at was very real as molten red eyes were staring back at her. Khara straightened in her seat as for a moment she thought she knew the owner of the eyes. However, such thoughts were proven wrong as more eyes appeared, making Khara let out a small growl. For whoever were on that wall, they were not friendly.

The other werewolves turned their head's and looked at her.

"Vampires!" She yelled as she rose from her seat and drew her blade, the others right behind her. "They're climbing the wall!" She leapt over the table and prepared herself as the vampires jumped down from the wall, revealing their numbers. Her slightly glowing eyes turned a few shades brighter as she looked at the vampires.

Khara's grip tightened around the hilt of her ebony sword. Her fellow allies were now standing by her side, forming a line. There were ten vampires, and only eight of them. It had been a while since she had a real battle, Khara smirked. _This hardly seems fair, for them_. She was about to say something, that was until Farkas, the Companion, lost his patience.

"Come on then you milk-drinking-blood-drinkers! I haven't got all day!" He roared as he charged. One could say that the man did not have any love for the creatures standing before them. "I'll rip your hearts out!" No love at all.

The vampires hissed as they too made their attack. The two groups ran towards each other, weapons and armor clashed upon impact as the fight had just started. Swords, daggers, axes and shields met each other again and again as each group fought to see the other fall. Spells and arrows were flying over Khara's head as she was fighting two vampires at the same time. She blocked the attack of one vampire and kicked the other straight in the knee, making the vampire's leg bend in an unnatural way. It let out a painful cry as it fell to the ground, dragging itself away from Khara. She was about to pursuit him, but an arrow flew past her and placed itself in the side of his skull. _Thank you, Huntress_. Khara continued her fight with the other vampire.

At the same time Balgruuf and Irileth were fighting back to back, each having their own target. It had been too long since the Jarl of Whiterun had fought alongside his Housecarl, he had almost forgotten how alive the rush made him feel. He raised his axe and it clashed down on the vampire's weapon who were struggling more and more with blocking the attacks. "Switch!" He yelled to his loyal companion as they, at the same time, lowered themselves and spun around fast, successfully taking both vampires by surprise as their weapons were now firmly placed in their guts. Blood flowed out from the wounds and the vampires whimpered as they fell to the ground, now squirming in the dirt.

Vilkas and Farkas were circling around the biggest vampire as they attempted to drain him of his energy in order to disarm him as he wielded an elven longsword. Both brothers attacked at the same time. The vampire blocked the attack from Vilkas and with his unnatural speed, dodged the attack from Farkas as he cut Vilkas on his upper arm. Vilkas dropped his weapon in favor to hold over his cut, only to realize the mistake he had done. The vampire used the hilt of his sword to hit Vilkas in the head, knocking the wolf to the ground. The vampire then proceeded to kick him in the head and placed one foot on the downed wolf's chest, he raised his sword. "I'll skin your dead corpse, _dog_!" He said ready to end the wolf's life.

Farkas looked at his brother as he felt the rage take over, he dropped his axe and sprinted to aid his brother. As he got closer his eyes turned as black as night, his teeth extended and his right hand received razor sharp claws. He grabbed the vampire by the neck, strengthen by his rage and said the following through his canines. "I keep my promises." The tone of his voice made the vampire feel a shiver crawl down his spine. The vampire yelled in agonizing pain as Farkas now had his right hand firmly planted around the vampire's heart, he then removed it from its owner's body. The vampire's sword fell to the ground as he walked off, eyes wide, only making it a few feet before joining his sword in the dirt. Farkas knelt down to his brother and shifted back before anyone could see his little transformation. He then helped Vilkas and the brothers ran over to aid Kodlak and Skjor, who were fighting three vampires.

Balgruuf and Irileth had ran over to Khara to help her with the vampire who was an expert at dodging her attacks, however the vampire didn't manage to keep up with the attacks from three different people and quickly fell lifeless to the ground.

The brothers were just about to join their leader in combat as one of the two vampire mages spotted them and blocked their path with a wall of fire, stopping the brothers completely.

The mage then casted a frost bolt towards Kodlak. Skjor saw the incoming bolt of ice and looked to his Harbinger, his eyes widened when he saw that the old man had his back exposed, unaware of what was flying towards him. With only a moment to act, Skjor pushed the vampire he was fighting back and ran towards Kodlak, but quickly saw he wouldn't be able to push him out of the way in time. So, he placed himself between the bolt and his old friend, making it hit him in the chest. It felt like all the air in his lungs were ripped out, he staggered as he turned around to face the vampire that he was fighting just before, only to be met with a sword to the throat.

Aela aimed at the vampire who casted the spell and ended its life with a single shot to its heart. She saw that the other mage had its full attention on the brothers and she took another shot hitting the mage in the chest, making its spell fade away. Khara, Balgruuf and Irileth then ran up to the mage and made quick work of him.

Vilkas and Farkas then charged the two vampires who were attacking their leader, rage fueled them as they attacked the vampires with their weapons.

Skjor at the time being, held his throat as he tried to get away from his vampire, who only laughed at him. "How does it feel, old man? Dying, that is." The vampire mocked as he lowered himself, unaware that his fellow vampires had fallen. Skjor then mumbled out a sound, making the vampire come closer.

Skjor plunged a dagger into the vampire's throat as he choked on his own blood. "You tell me." He said through gritted teeth with a voice as cold as ice as he fell to the ground, the fire in his heart finally extinguished.

Kodlak walked over to his fallen friend and moved is hand to close Skjor's eyes. No words were said as the group looked at their fallen ally. "Aela dear, make your way to Dragonsreach and write the letters." Kodlak stood up. "Vilkas, Farkas, help me move him inside." The brothers nodded as they walked over to Skjor's body.

Khara sat next to Balgruuf on a bench as they let the day sink in, a lot had happened. After getting inside Dragonsreach, Aela went off to the ravens as Irileth went to go clean herself, leaving the Dragonborn and The Jarl alone in the massive dining hall.

Balgruuf sighed and lowered his head to his hands, head shaking. Khara knew this look all too well. "I can see you're upset about what happened down there, but there is something else bothering you, isn't there? She asked in a low, gentle voice. Balgruuf raised his head and looked at her.

"You know me too well." He sadly chuckled. "It's about my youngest son, Nelkir."

"What about him?" Khara asked.

"He is a troubled boy and I don't know how to help him, he says he can hear whispering coming from the basement. He even told me that a woman kept telling him _horrible_ things." He stood up and paced in front of Khara. "I've had my guards look everywhere, but there is nothing to be found." Khara could hear the frustration in his voice.

"What if I went down and looked, maybe I can find what your guards could not?" She offered.

He nodded and gave Khara a key. "I don't think you will find anything down there, but I would be foolish to decline your offer." He said with a weak smile.

Khara stood up and walked over to the stairs leading down to the basement, she grabbed a lantern before going down the stairs and unlocking a door.

Darkness, all she was greeted with was darkness. There were no sounds, no creaking as she walked over the wooden floor, nothing. She lifted the lantern and walked over to the other side of the poorly lit room. Khara noticed that it was colder down here, much colder. She suddenly heard a faint sound, almost like someone was whispering. She closed her eyes and stood still, listening and when she got an idea of where it was coming from, she followed the sound. Even though she didn't have a good feeling about this, she pressed on, determined to get in the bottom of whatever this was.

However, she was forced to stop when a stone wall was in her way. The whispering was louder now and she could her what it was saying. _Walk through it, claim it, take it_. Khara raised her hand to touch the wall and was surprised when she didn't feel anything, her hand was going through it. She took a deep breath before walking through the wall.

The room she was now in was covered in webs, dust, and extremely old furniture. _No one's been here in years_. In the middle of the room there was a table with an item on it, something wrapped in leather. She walked over to the table and put down the lantern, she then grabbed the item before her. As she held it, the leather crumbled and fell off, revealing an old rusted blade. Khara placed both her hands around it's hilt and her eyes widened when she felt it's enchantments. "Woah."

"Indeed, you feel it's power, don't you, Khara?" A similar voice spoke from behind her making Khara spin around.

In front of her there was nothing, but she did feel a presence.

Khara raised the blade as she spoke. "Are you the one tormenting the boy?"

"Tormenting is such a strong word, I simply whispered secret truths." The voice responded.

"Are you in another room?" Khara asked as she scanned the area, not seeing any doors. "Who are you?"

"Regrettably, I cannot reach your realm so directly. But I forgive you for not knowing my name. Few can hear my whispers anymore." The voice said and gave a little pause before continuing. "I am Mephala, the Lady of Whispers."

Khara froze for a second as she now understood who she was up against, a Daedra.

"What is it that you want, Lady Mephala. Why do you bother the boy?" Khara asked as she placed the blade on the table and leaned back on the furniture, arms crossed.

"I only wish for my Blade to roam the realm of Nirn once again, it being locked away like this takes some of my power away from Nirn. Thus, making it hard to answer my subject's prayers." Mephala spoke in that smooth, calming voice of hers. "Long have I waited for an ambitious and talented person, such as yourself, to find it."

Khara turned her head and looked at the blade. It was a long sword, but it was perfectly balanced and lightweight. Khara understood that in its prime it was probably a force to be reckoned with, however the blade she held in her hands now, was not. But the thought gave her an idea. She felt a slight desire to keep the blade, however she didn't want it in its current state. So, the Dragonborn stepped out of the spotlight and let The Guild Master take the stage.

"I have an offer to you, Lady Mephala." Khara said as she took the blade.

"Which is?" The Lady of Whispers responded, her interest peeked.

"Well, seeing as you want your blade to roam the land again and me having need of a new sword, how about I carry it for you? I can promise you it will see many battles, people will learn its name again _and_ your name, my Lady." Khara spoke with her silver tongue.

"This is a tempting offer, Khara. And in return?"

"In return, you will leave these people be." She said as she stood up. "You will also restore the blade to its full power."

The Lady of Whispers chuckled at the mortal, she was amused. "You surprise me, Khara. I do believe this deal will serve us both very well, I accept."

Khara's eyes fell to the blade as the rust turned to dust and dropped to the wooden floor. She felt the magic return to the blade as she held it. A voice in her head then whispered its name. "The Ebony Blade." Khara whispered. As the words left her tongue, a dark red light danced around the Blade and then moved to Khara before placing itself on her hand that was holding the weapon, and then faded.

"My Ebony Blade is now bound to you, Khara. May it serve you well." Mephala said. Khara felt the presence of Lady Mephala leave the room.

She stood still for a moment, going over what had just happened in her mind. She had encountered Daedra before and it didn't always end so peacefully. She lifted the blade and tighten her hold of it, making its magic flow through her. She nodded her head in approval. _That's neat_.

She took her ebony sword out of its sheathe and replaced it with the Ebony Blade before walking out of the room and up the stairs. Leaving her old sword behind.

Jarl Balgruuf was still on the bench where she had left him. He raised his head and looked up at the smiling woman standing before him. "Do I want to know?" He asked slightly worried.

"No, you don't, but whatever was down there is now gone for good. Your boy will be left alone." Khara said as she looked at the entrance door.

Balgruuf stood up and gave Khara's shoulder a little squeeze. Khara turned her head back. "Thank you, Khara. You always make dark days a little brighter." _For my friends, yes_. Khara thought to herself as she nodded to the Jarl.

"It was nothing, old friend. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll retreat to Breezehome." She said.

"Yes, go and get some rest, you've earned it. And thank you again." Khara gave a polite nod to the Jarl before walking out of Dragonsreach.

On her way to Breezehome, her resident within Whiterun, Khara stopped for a moment to admire the Gildergreen's beauty. The tree's branches reached far and was covered in colorful pink leaves. But, that was not always the case. A short while after Khara had won her battle against Alduin, the tree was struck by lightning and badly burnt. It was Khara however, with some help from Danica, a priestess of Kyneareth, who had nursed the tree back to its former glory. The memory made Khara smile, _it feels like a lifetime ago_.

She was just about to continue her walk as she could hear two pair of footsteps approaching her. Seeming as it was nighttime, Khara tensed a little before she could smell who it was.

"Dragonborn, may we have a word?" The voice asked.

"Of course, Companion." Khara answered. The two brothers, Vilkas and Farkas was now standing before her. Vilkas nodded before continuing.

"The Harbinger have invited you to honor Skjor's memory. The funeral will be held tomorrow at dusk at the Skyforge." Vilkas said as he held her eyes. Beside him, Farkas glared at the woman, his wolf spirit didn't like having an intruder inside its home. A small growl escaped him, but Khara chose to ignore it.

"I'll pay my respects, Skjor was a good man and an even better warrior. I'll be there at dusk." She respectfully answered the wolf.

"Good, Kodlak wanted to ask you himself, but other duti-"

"When do you leave Whiterun?" Farkas interrupted his brother as he made eye contact with Khara. His eyes were intense as she could see how much her presence were bothering him.

"I'm unsure." She responded, when she saw that the answer didn't please the wolf she continued. "But I promise I won't stay long, a couple of days at most."

Her words made Farkas give a small nod before walking off towards Jorrvaskr. Vilkas sent her a little apology before following his brother.

Khara walked down some steps and followed the path that would take her to Breezehome. As she was about to reach for the door, something in the corner of her eye caught her interest. She looked over to the main gate and took a few steps back away from the door. When she managed to see who or what it was, her eyes widened, her heart fluttered and her breath hitched as soft-glowing orange eyes looked back at her.

Seeing Serana after _three_ weeks made her wolf howl so loud that Khara swore the vampire could hear it, she believed this theory further when Serana smiled at her. They both started walking toward each other when suddenly Serana stopped, her smile gone. Khara slightly tilted her head, not knowing why she had stopped.

The Dragonborn's eyes widened as two forms flew past her and were approaching Serana fast. She then saw who it was, Vilkas and Farkas. And in that moment only a single word occupied her thoughts, _shit._ Khara inhaled deeply and shouted.

"WULD NAH KEST." She moved past the two brothers and turned towards them when she had stopped, successfully stopping their attack, for now. _Bastards must have followed me_. She grabbed her newly obtained blade as she was the only thing between two werewolves and her vampire.  
"Vilkas, Farkas." She said as she carefully eyed the two brothers, their eyes stuck on their target, unwilling to move. Khara's eyes turned to that bright blue color again, worried of what might happen.

"Move aside, Dragonborn!" Farkas roared as he paced back and forth while keeping his eyes at Serana. "That's a fucking blood-sucker, move!"

" _She_ is with me, Farkas. She won't harm anyone." Khara spoke with a calm voice, hoping it would calm the brothers.

"Like oblivion she will! You know what her kind does, you saw it with your own eyes only a few hours ago!" He yelled as he walked closer to Khara. The movement made Serana take a step back as she was worried of what may happen to her and Khara. Khara turned her head for a second to look at Serana, their eyes found each other instantly. Even though Khara still had her mask up, she tried to tell Serana something with her eyes. The vampire narrowed her eyes before understanding what the wolf was trying to say. _Trust me_. Serana nodded and looked towards the brothers again.

"Farkas stand down!" She commanded. "Vilkas! Talk some sense into him before he forces my hand!" She yelled at the other wolf.

"And why would I do that?" He asked, tempted to join his brother's advances. "You know of its kind, they have that reputation for a reason you know. They are mindless beasts, savages!" He said to Khara as he took a step closer.

Khara let her hands drop to her sides, blade still in hand as she raised them slightly. "And what about us? Aren't we monsters? We who turn into savage beasts. Surely you know that our reputation is no better than her kind's one, if anything its worse!" Khara said as she worked to prove a point.

"We are nothing like the ones who can't control their transformations! We resist the urges, we have learned to control it!" Vilkas responded, not knowing where she was going with all this.

"Then surely you can grasp the possibility that her kind can do the same!" Khara said, pleaded even.

Her words had surprised Vilkas greatly, as his mount opened and closed in an attempt to form words. However, Khara took the opportunity to continue as the brothers stood their ground for the time being.

"She can control her urges Vilkas, I _know it_. I've been traveling with her before and not even once did my wolf aspect even get suspicious of her."

"I….I can't and I won't let a vampire roam the city because of a damned feeling!" Vilkas responded, stumbling a little over his own words.

"Then just trust me, have I ever done anything that harmed the city in anyway?" She asked both of them. When they didn't respond she continued.

"I even brought a damned _dragon_ into the heart of the city, a _dragon_! And yet, no one got hurt. Please trust me, I know what I'm doing." She shook her head.

Vilkas looked at his brother and they lowered they weapons a little.  
"By the Gods, woman." He said as he walked up to her, weapon now on his belt, and pointed at her chest. "If _it_ as much as touches a person I will hold you responsible, got it?"

"Aye, got it." Khara said as she held his eyes.

The brothers looked at Serana for a little while before walking off, Khara could finally breathe again. She placed her blade on her back and bowed her head as she shook it, she then looked up and met Serana's eyes once more. The vampire gave her a small smile of gratitude as she approached her. Khara's body finally relaxed and her eyes turned back to its normal blue-glowing state before she spoke.  
"Welcome to Whiterun."


	3. Chapter 3

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 3_

 _Drunken Tales_

"I would say I got a warmer welcome from my father, but that would be lying." Serana said as she warmed her cold bones in front of the fire which Khara was currently tending.

After their little _incident_ at the main gate, Khara had led Serana into Breezehome and lit the fire for her. She had to admit that they were extremely lucky. No one had seen their little argument with the Companions. Due to the war and Whiterun's decision to join the Empire, there weren't many guards out during the nightshifts. Khara made sure to remember to thank whoever God was watching over her.

Khara turned around and sat down in the other chair facing the fire, taking off her gauntlets. "Care to share?" Khara asked as she handed Serana a cup of mead. "It'll help warm you up." She said as she smiled.

"Thank you." Serana said as she took a sip. "You know, you would think that a father would be happy to see his daughter after _so_ many years." Serana lowered the cup and held it with both hands on her lap. She kept her eyes on it. "If anything, he seemed disappointed." She huffed and shook her head. "He probably expected me to have the Scroll." She looked into the flames.

Khara saw that talking about her father was something that took a lot of energy for Serana, she saw the sadness in her eyes and certainly heard it in her voice.

"Anyways, Father explained to me that the scrolls are a part of this obscure prophecy, that vampires would no longer need to fear the sun. For someone who fancies himself as vampire royalty, that's pretty seductive." Serana took another sip of her mead before she placed it on the table between them, she then continued. "My mother didn't feel like inviting a war with all of Tamriel, so she tried to stop him. That's why I was sealed away with the Scroll." Serana took a deep breath before she continued. "Somehow, he…He found Mother and killed her." Due to the amount of emotions in that single sentence, Khara knew that Serana loved her mother with all her heart. She had heard the pain as the vampire had spoken and without even knowing it, she had moved over to kneel by Serana's side and placed her hand over the vampire's one. Clearly, her wolf was currently the one taking the lead of her actions. As they touched there was yet again this little spark, it truly did feel like fire and ice colliding whenever their skin touched.

The feeling made Serana looked down at the wolf's left hand, she could see that it was fully healed now as the only thing showing was a scar. She moved her other hand closer and ran her index finger over the abused skin, successfully making Khara's mind go as empty as a beggar's purse.

Khara did recover only a moment later. "I'm sorry for your loss, Serana." She looked to their hands. "I never knew my parents, so I won't lie and tell you I know how you feel, because I don't." Khara said as she offered a small smile to the woman, then continued. "What I can say however is that you're not alone, I'm right here. And if you ever feel like talking about her, your mother or anything else, I'd be honored to listen." Her words earned her a little smile from Serana.

"You're pretty good with words you know, have anyone ever told you that?" Khara smiled at the new tone in Serana's voice. Khara gave Serana's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and feeding the flames more firewood. Serana knew that Khara was a kind person, but still she kept getting surprised by the wolf's words and her actions.

Khara snorted as she spoke. "Just like every single guard in the Rift." Her words made Serana roll her eyes in amusement. "You're the first one in Whiterun though." She said as she turned her head to look at Serana.

Serana placed one hand over her chest. "Oh, I am honored." She mocked.

"You should be." Khara said as she made a funny snobbish voice and spoke again. "My name carries great weight in the Hold, I do travel to the Cloud District very often and I _do_ boast about it, I'll have you know." It sounded and looked like Khara was impersonating someone. Her silliness made Serana laugh, _I could listen to that all-day long_. She had succeeded in her mission to make the vampire laugh, and she took pride in doing so.

"Back to the matter, father has an Elder Scroll and forced one of his followers to read it. The man went absolutely mad, shouting the words, _with the blood of your kin the sun will be forced to bend it's will,_ he kept saying that for days before father had him, _removed_. He is currently looking for someone who can properly read his Scroll." Serana said as her eyes danced around the fire.

Her words made Khara's eyes light up. "Serana?" She asked as she turned her body to face the woman sitting before her. Her words made Serna look at her. "Is Harkon your father?"

Serana's eyes widened a little. "How do you know his name?"

"He is responsible for many vampire attacks around the whole province. Some vampires had letters on them from a _Lord Harkon_." Khara spoke as she stood up. "He mentioned a Moth Priest called Dexion, maybe he is able to read the Scrolls? Khara asked.

"Yes, I think you might be onto something." Serana responded and Khara nodded. "Anyways, he wouldn't let me leave, saying that he might need me to fulfill the prophecy in some way, but it felt like there was something else he wasn't telling me." She continued. "So after I managed to get a little of his trust back, I left and went to find you." She looked over at Khara who was now looking at the fire.

Khara turned her head and spoke. "I'm glad that you did." She smiled.

"Likewise." Serana smiled too. "Even though I still have my doubts about this whole prophecy, I can't imagine a world ruled by vampires to be a very good one."

"Yes, I see your concern." Khara said as she thought about their situation for a little moment. "Well, we'll have to find this Dexion person before your father does, then from there, hopefully we will know what to do."

Serana's eyes widened, she came here in hope that Khara might be able to point her to a guild or a group of people who would be willing to help her. She didn't expect Khara to offer her aid just like that, in all honesty, she wasn't even planning to ask her.

"You'll help me?" She asked in a surprised, low voice.

"Well, yes, of course." Khara beamed. "I know what kind of power The Scrolls can hold, I've handled one before. Of course, I'm going to help you, Serana. I got involved in all this- "She waved her hand between the two. "-In the second I entered Dimhollow." Khara said as she stood up and walked over to the dining area with the two empty cups.

"That means a lot, Khara." Serana smiled as her eyes roamed the woman's form. Serana then remembered something Khara had said the last time they saw each other and stood up. "Now, I do believe we made a deal." Serana said. Khara turned towards her and stood on her toes for a moment as she spoke, hands on her back.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Serana." Khara said, pretending to not remember their deal. She was going to play a little with the vampire, make her work a little before getting to remove the mask, however all those thoughts disappeared when Serana looked at her in a certain way.

"No?" Serana raised an eyebrow as she slowly walked towards the wolf, her eyes never leaving Khara's blue ones. Serana too could play this game. She slightly raised her hand before asking. "May I?" She asked the wolf in an almost sensual voice. The wolf within Khara was standing just as still as Khara was, not really believing what was happening.

Khara gave a small nod before she managed to form some words. "A deal's a deal." Khara said in a low, gentle voice. Khara's games would have to wait. She felt a little self-conscious, something she normally doesn't feel, but her wolf spirit calmed her down.

Serana raised her hand some more and gently pulled the hood down, revealing white hair. Some of it was pulled back, probably so that it would stay out of the wolf's eyes, and some of it simply fell to rest at her shoulders.

Khara lowered her eyes and looked to the side as Serana was now reaching for her mask. Finally, the vampire's curiosity would be satisfied as she had long wondered what her rescuer looked like. Serana had, of course, made some images in her head as to what Khara looked like. She finally pulled down the mask, making sure to let her fingertips graze some of Khara's warm skin, just to prove to the wolf that she was in charge, and for the first time in history, the wolf let all its walls down, fully exposing itself.

The sight before her made Serana hold her breath, _she's absolutely stunning_. Her skin was pallid and clear, only a few shades darker than Serana's. Her cheekbones high, her cheeks defined as well as her chin and her jawline was strong, yet delicate. Khara looked back at Serana, searching her eyes.

Serana's eyes traveled down to find a straight nose, before venturing further where full lips could be found. She raised her eyes and looked into dark-glowing blue ones. Khara's eyes were more visible now, revealing how truly captivating they were. Due to her hood, it had been too dark too look at them before, to _really_ look at them. Her eyes were the perfect kind of electric blue. Striking yet soft. Not the electric shock that paralyzed you or crawled under your muscles, but the kind that made your stomach flutter. A single scar could be found under her right eye. The woman's hair framed her face perfectly. If Serana didn't know better, she would have guessed that Khara was carved by the Gods themselves.

"Hey." Serana said with a gentle voice and a small smile.

"Hey yourself." Khara responded with a small voice and a smile of her own playing at her lips.

They just stood there for a little while, lost in the other's eyes, like they we're having a silent conversation. Normally, having a starring contest was uncomfortable, but oddly enough, it didn't bother them. Khara's wolf aspect went crazy over this, thinking and saying to Khara that they weren't simply just _looking_ at each other. To the wolf, the eye contact was a powerful act of communication _and_ interest. _Stop that_ , Khara told her wolf spirit, making the wolf whine. Khara have found out that whenever Serana is close, her wolf would try to lower Khara's defenses, it was almost like her wolf aspect wanted Serana to see her, to see who she was behind all those walls. And it had already succeeded many times, Khara found it harder to have this fight a part of herself. _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let someone in_. But no matter what she thought she knew this, having the vampire so close felt right.

Sadly enough, their moment didn't last long as a key could be heard entering the keyhole of the door. Khara moved on instinct, her wolf currently in charge as she placed herself in-between the door and Serana, hand hovering over the back at her belt, ready to grab the dagger if needed. A second later, a woman with dark hair and steel armor entered the house and Khara moved her hand to hang back at her side.

"Greetings, my Thane!" Lydia spoke, but Khara only narrowed her eyes on the woman. "Greetings, …Dragonborn?" Khara then placed a hand on her hip and looked at the Housecarl with a serious expression, making Lydia sigh in defeat. "Hello, Khara." She finally said with a lazy voice, making Khara grin at the woman.

"How goes it, Lydia? All well?" She asked her loyal Housecarl.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking _you_ that? I was just at Jorrvaskr, I heard what happened at the gates." Lydia said as she looked past her Thane, and saw the woman standing behind her, before turning her gaze back at Khara. If this was any other person, they would've most likely charged the vampire or at least said something about it, but Lydia knew better.

"We're fine, it was just a little misunderstanding. We worked it out." Khara said as she stepped to the side and looked at Serana. "Lydia, this is Serana. She'll be staying here till the funeral is over."

Lydia smiled and gave a polite nod to the vampire, Serana did the same. "Well, it's good to know that you're both unharmed." The Housecarl said

"Do you have guard duty in the morning, or the whole day for that matter?" Khara asked.

"No, you want me to stay here?" Lydia responded, already knowing what her Thane wanted.

"Yes, I don't think Farkas will be able to resist the urge to stay away." She said as she looked around the room.

"Very well, he won't try anything under my watch. I'll stay at the tavern tonight, apparently the local bards are going to have some sort of contest!" Lydia said with excitement.

Khara waved her hand at the woman with a smile on her face. "Don't let us keep you." Lydia smiled back before leaving the two women alone.

Serana walked past Khara towards the door and turned back with a confused expression on her face as she weakly pointed at the door. "Did she not see what I am?" She asked the wolf.

Khara looked at the vampire with a grin on her face. "She did, but Lydia is very loyal. You can trust her, I promise." She sat back down at one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. "I'll have to attend a funeral later tomorrow, but after that we should be good to go. I know a person who might just know where our Moth Priest might be hiding."

Serana walked over to the other chair and sat down too. "Okay, sounds good." There was something else she was wondering about, both the wolf brothers and Lydia had called Khara _Dragonborn_. It sounded familiar, yet Serana could not quite place it, until she remembered their fight back at Dimhollow. Khara had spoken in the language of dragons, she had even shouted, not once, but twice now in front of the vampire. She then remembered a story from when she was a child, something about a warrior known as…

Her eyes widened as she now fully remembered the whole story. In the back of her mind she could hear her mother's voice retell it. _Legend tells of a hero known as the Dragonborn, a warrior with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon, whose destiny it is to destroy the evil dragon Alduin, the World Eater_.

This explained so much, it explained how Khara could speak in the language of dragons, how she could shout, it also explained why her blood smelled so, _so_ _delicious_. Serana thought, because flowing through the veins of the woman next to her was dragon's blood, divine blood given by Akatosh himself, the Dragon God of Time.

She stared at Khara, surprised over the new information she had discovered. Khara must have felt her eyes on her as she was now looking back at the vampire with a raised eyebrow. "You're Dragonborn." Serana said and then shook her head as she spoke again. "No, you're _the_ Dragonborn. You fought the World Eater?" She asked with interest.

Khara let out a sigh as she lowered her head, eyes on the floor. "Yeah, I fought him. With a lot of help, I managed to defeat him." Khara's voice sounded distant.

"You're not proud of this?" Serana said as she studied the wolf's face.

"I am." She simply said with a small smile, but there was more behind those words, Serana could sense it. Even though she was curious about this newly obtained information about the young wolf, Serana knew not to push it. So, she simply nodded to the woman.

They talked for a little while longer about how Serana had managed to find Khara and her journey to Whiterun, before they decided to get some rest. Khara had offered Serana her bedroom seeing to how she wouldn't be able to sleep herself due to the threat of the brothers, but mainly because of her wolf aspect and the possibility of having nightmares. Serana had politely declined the offer, but Khara kept insisting.

"It's not like I would get much sleep anyways, knowing that the brothers might be creeping around." Khara reasoned. Serana narrowed her eyes on the woman and for a moment they had a little staring contest. However, Khara's eyes have an effect on the vampire, Serana sighed before she spoke.

"Fine." She crossed her arms and looked at Khara, she tried to look annoyed, but failed, making the wolf grin. She then pointed at the woman. "But you're sleeping after the funeral." It wasn't a request.

"As you wish." Khara answered amused. "Sleep well, Serana." She told the vampire with a way too sweet voice.

As the vampire climbed the stairs she mumbled. "Damn stubborn woman." Khara heard her and chuckled at the words.

And with that Khara leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, her dagger in her hand in case something was to happen. And she remained like that for the rest of the night, silently guarding the vampire on the floor above.

Hours had passed and the sun was now up, and just like Khara, it was ready for a new day. The wolf had breakfast prepared and ready for when Serana had descended the stairs to join her. Serana noticed that Khara was now out of her armor and was wearing a white and brown tunic, light brown leather trousers and black boots. She saw a long scar over her collarbone that disappeared under her tunic, it was perfectly lined with the one under her right eye, making the vampire wonder if they were caused by the same source. They ate in a comfortable silence before Khara spoke. "I hope the constant howling didn't keep you up all night." Serana chuckled and raised her head to look at Khara.

"It spooked me a couple of times, but I got used to it. Was it those two we saw at the gate?" Serana asked as she took a sip of water.

"Probably, and some other from the same pack. Don't tell anyone this, because it's a secret, but the Companions, the local guild, are led by werewolves." Khara said, she knew she could trust Serana with this information.

"So, there is more of them, that explains the strong scent of dog in this city." She answered amused, then widened her eyes because of what she had said.

"Do I smell like dog?" Khara answered, trying hard not to laugh at Serana's facial expression.

"What? No!" The vampire said with wide eyes. Khara only narrowed her eyes. "No you don't, it's weird really." Khara hummed.

"What do I smell like then?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Serana furrowed her brows in concentration with a hand on her chin.

"There is a faint scent of a flower, but I can't quite place it. And fire, just pure fire, like when you summon it in your hands." She said as she looked in to soft blue-glowing eyes. The tone in Serana's voice made Khara forget where she was, all she could focus on was the vampire. The words also made Khara grin sheepishly and lower her head, suddenly her plate was extremely interesting. Serana took notice of Khara's actions and smirked, _is she blushing_?

After recovering Khara saw that Serana didn't take any food, only water. Then she remembered that Serana was a vampire, the blood drinking kind. _I am an absolute mother-horker of an idiot, she must be starving_. Serana had told Khara that after she learned of her location from a guard outside of Solitude, that she went straight to Whiterun. She may have had a _drink_ on the way, but in that case, she hasn't said anything about it. And something about how the vampire looked at the cup made Khara act.

She was in one of her houses now, she had access to powerful healing potions and even healers, something she was limited too when out traveling. She stood up, grabbed a potion, a new cup and some cloth, before sitting back down. She placed the cup between her legs and cut her wrist, trying hard not to make a mess. Serana was too lost in her mind to even notice what Khara was doing, that was of course, until she could smell the sweet scent of fresh blood. Now on the table, right in front of her, was a cup filled with blood, dragon blood, _Khara's blood_. She quickly placed her arms in her own lap as she looked at the cup, then at Khara.

"You look thirsty and I don't mind, really." Khara said as she held her eyes. "And it's not like I can take it back now, can I?" She chuckled as she used the potion and wrapped the cloth around her wrist. The gesture made Serana smile and look down. Khara didn't want Serana to feel uncomfortable so she started to clean the table, giving the woman some privacy.

After a little while, Serana took the cup and brought it closer to her face and she could smell fire, she then took a small sip. _By the blood_ , she was forced to close her eyes, trying extremely hard not to make a sound, because the red liquid that was currently sliding down her throat was the best damn blood to have ever passed her lips, _ever_. She had to move the cup away from herself for a moment in order not to swallow it all at once, Khara's blood was unique for sure, addictive almost. She calmed herself down before drinking some more, she did wonder though, if it tasted this good from a cup, how would it taste if she was to feed directly from Khara.

She shook her head, such thoughts were inappropriate, Khara had just given Serana some of her blood and here she was, wondering what it would taste like form Khara directly.

"So, how does it taste? Dragon's blood mixed with that of a werewolf, that is." Khara said with genuine curiosity as she sat down opposite Serana.

"It's _really_ good." Serana said as she leaned back a little. "It feels like I've just fed from a dozen people, I don't even feel the need to have any more at the moment." _But Gods do I want more_. She heard herself say in her head.  
"And that's saying something."

"That's great, now that both of us are fully fed, how about I show you around town? I need to pick up a few things from the shops and I would appreciate the company." Khara said as she flashed Serana a smile that was just for her.

She smiled back at the wolf. "Sure, I've been really wanting to get out and explore a bit."

"Alright, might be a good idea to keep your hood on though." Khara said and Serana agreed.

Khara had to restock on bandages and some small healing potions, she also wanted to sell some gems so that she would have some more gold on her. They entered Belethor's General Goods, bought some bandages and sold a few flawless sapphires before walking out and into Arcadia's shop, the towns alchemist. While Khara had walked around and picked up the potions she needed to buy, Serana had walked up to Arcadia and helped her with a rather difficult potion. After that they walked out of the shop and headed towards Dragonsreach, however they could see that two people were currently in a discussion of sorts. Khara gently grabbed Serana's arm and led her towards the wall of The Bannered Mare.

"You see those two?" Khara asked while she nodded towards a Redguard and Bosmer, a Wood elf.

"Yes?" Serana answered a little confused, they didn't look dangerous or anything, she thought.

"Good, listen closely to the Redguard." Khara said with a grin firmly plastered on her face, while she leaned her side on the wall, facing Serana in order to pretend like they weren't spying on the two men. Serana looked over at the pair and focused on their conversation.

"…I simply prefer quality merchandise. No, no this meat won't do at all. Too much fat, and it all smells…wrong." The Redguard said. Serana's hand quickly made its way to her mouth in order not to laugh out hard, making her make a snorting noise. Khara also had to cover her mouth as she too was finding this hilarious, and she was just getting started.

"The woods are that way. Outside the walls, walk straight ahead. Can't miss them. Good luck on your hunt." The Wood elf said as he turned back to his little stand.

"Do you forget who I am, _Elf_?" The Redguard huffed. "Never mind, I will take my business elsewhere, good day!" This was the person that Khara had impersonated last night and she was spot-on at capturing the unique, arrogant tone of the man.

"Come, follow me." Khara said as they had just barely recovered from their little burst of laughter. She took Serana by the arm again, smiling at the woman before letting go of the arm and turning around, facing the man. "Good day, Nazeem." Khara said in that smooth voice of hers.

"Ah, yes hello, Dragonborn." He responded with little interest before he spoke again. "Have you been to the Cloud District recently? Oh, what am I saying, of course you haven't. I myself was there just now. As you may know, I do go there very often, seeing as I advise the Jarl himself on political matters." He said in that awfully arrogant voice of his, Serana was just about to burst out laughing.

Khara looked up at the sky, at the sun and spoke. "Oh, would you look at that, excuse us Nazeem, we have to be somewhere. Stay safe." She said as she walked pass the man, Serana right next to her.

"Yes, yes, bye now, I too have very important work to do." He said as he walked over to another stand.

Khara and Serana chuckled together as they climbed the stairs that would take them to the Wind District. As they walked they could hear Nazeem's low voice behind them. "Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying…" His voice faded as they walked further away. His words made them burst out in laughter as they walked pass the Gildergreen and towards the last pair of stairs.

"That impression was-…" Serana laughed some more before being able to continue.  
"…- It was _so_ accurate, Khara." Khara nodded as she too laughed. They continued this throughout the day, exploring the city, greeting the townsfolk and having a laugh here and there. Khara had told Serana a little about the city's history, including the story about Olaf One-Eye and the great dragon Numinex, The Skyforge, The Companions and the Gildergreen. Normally Serana wouldn't find such stories to be entertaining, but it was the way Khara had presented them that made Serana listen carefully to every single word that escaped the other woman's lips.

As the two women continued to explore the city, the sun was on its way down, letting Khara know that she would soon have to leave her companion and ready herself for the funeral. They slowly made their way back to Breezehome where Lydia already was waiting for their arrival.

Khara was just about to get her armor back on, knowing that the others who would attend the funeral weren't going to use fine clothes and robes, but armor in honor of Skjor. She grabbed the chest piece and held it close as she concentrated on every piece of armor down to every single strap. A faint red-glowing light made it presence in her hand as the different pieces of armor placed themselves on the correct parts of her body before the straps tightened.

On the other side of the room Serana was watching with interest. "That's a clever way to use telekinesis, you must have a pretty good understanding of the spell in order to do that." Serana said.

"Thanks, alteration and illusion is what I've practiced the most, alongside with a little destruction." Khara said as she looked over her armor, making sure she looked presentable. When she was happy, she turned her head to the two other women in the room. Lydia took notice.

"Go, Khara, I'll be here until you return. Go now, you don't want to be late." The Housecarl spoke from her seat at the dining table, Serana sitting opposite her currently lost in a book.

"Yes, right. I'll be back in a few hours." She said as she made her way over to the door, turning her head just before opening it only to see Lydia waving her out. She then left the Housecarl and the vampire alone as she made her way over to the Skyforge.

Khara had brought out some books about what had happened while Serana was asleep. She didn't know how long Serana had been in Dimhollow Crypt, she only knew that it was a long time. She gave the vampire some books about big events that had taken place over the ages, hoping that Serana would like to be up-to-date with what had happened while she was in a deep slumber. Serana spent a couple of hours looking through the books and was surprised of all the things she had missed, the next book containing more shocking news than the previous one.

"Mehrunes Dagon entered Tamriel?" Serana said with wide eyes.

Lydia turned her head to face the vampire and chuckled. "Yes he did, don't worry though. He was defeated by the Hero of Kvatch and banished back to his realm in Oblivion."

Serana ran a hand through her hair, her head was currently overflowing with all this new information. "So many things have happened while I was asleep, it feels like I've entered a different world." Serana said as she looked at the books she had now read.

The sentence made Lydia wonder just how old the vampire was, so she simply asked.  
"Just how old are you actually? How long were you asleep inside that crypt?"

"Well, according to this book, a woman named Alessia formed the First Cyrodilic Empire in year 241 in the first Era. There wasn't any empire back then I was _awake_." She looked up from the book and asked Lydia. "What year is it?"

"Year 204 of the fourth Era." The woman answered.

"So, that would make me-…" She took a pause to do the math. Her eyes widened as she let out a breath. "…-That would make me over four thousand and two hundred years old." She was shocked, she knew that a long time had passed, but she had no idea that it had been over four thousand years.

Lydia let out a low whistle. "By the Gods, you're older than Talos! You're older than a _god_ , Serana!" Serana leaned back in her chair and let out a nervous laugh because she really didn't know how to feel about this.

Lydia saw the look on Serana's face, she looked stressed, worried, nervous even. So, the Housecarl decided to brighten the mood. Lydia stood up and grabbed two cups and a few bottles of mead before she sat back down at the table and filled the cups. "How about a story."

Serana looked at her with a raised. "Okay, what kind of story?"

"One about Khara, it's actually my favorite one." Lydia's smile was filled with mischief.

"You've peeked my interest now." Serana answered as she leaned over the table a little.

"Alright, get comfortable, it's a long one." The woman said as she started the story.

She told Serana that after Khara and herself had killed a group of bandits for the Jarl, Jarl Balgruuf, that they had entered the local tavern to have a little celebration and relax. They were already deep in their cups when a man called Sam approached Khara and challenged her to a drinking contest. Seeing as Khara was already in a good mood due to all the mead, she accepted the challenge. Lydia had watched the two laugh and drink together from her seat, she looked at her cup for only a moment and when she looked back over at the two, they were gone.

"At first, I thought that they were leaving to do, you know, the dirty. But then I remembered that Khara doesn't like men in _that_ way." Lydia said as she took a little pause to take a quick sip of her drink. Serana felt a warm feeling make it appearance in her chest because of the new information about the wolf. _She doesn't like men in that way, interesting_. A small smile now on her lips. "Somehow she and Sam had traveled up to Rorikstead, stolen a goat from the local farmers and sold it to a _giant_."

"What?" Serana was laughing at this point, she could see it all before her. Khara sneaking around the village and grabbing a goat. The image made her laugh alongside with Lydia.

"It gets better, it gets _so_ much better, Serana." Lydia calmed herself down in order to continue the story.

After Khara had sold the goat, she and Sam had somehow ended up all the way over in Markarth and had made a mess out of the Temple of Dibella. When Khara had woken up, Sam was gone and there was a priest in front of her. The priest was absolutely furious and made the mighty Dragonborn, the slayer of Alduin, clean the temple.

"Khara thought that was it and made her way back to Whiterun, that was until a woman named Ysolda congratulated Khara on her marriage." Serana choked on her drink and opened her mouth.

"She married someone?" She asked shocked.

"Aye, she did. Somewhere between leaving town and stealing a goat. Khara had asked Ysolda for a ring so she could propose to her beloved." Lydia was now struggling to keep a straight face.

"Who did she marry? Some poor young woman?" Serana asked as she was really interested in this part of the story.

"She married a-…" Lydia was now laughing, hard. "She married a hagraven, a bloody _hagraven_!" Serana leaned over the table, hands around her ribs as she too was now laughing hard, tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Isn't that one of those, those _bird_ creatures?" She struggled to speak due to all the laughing.

"Yes! It is!" Lydia nodded. "Somehow, she had found a Hagraven, managed to convince it _not_ to attack her and then charmed it enough for it to accept a marriage proposal!" Lydia's face was red due to the lack of oxygen.  
"I mean, if anything its rather impressive that Khara managed to do all that in one _single_ night."

"Yes, you're right. It is very impressive." They were both chuckling now and slowly calming down. They kept talking about Khara's adventures and just stories in general for a little while. Lydia was glad that Khara had found Serana, Khara was in a good mood, she was smiling, laughing, even joking and that was something the Housecarl had missed about her Thane.

Lydia looked at Serana and smiled. "I'm glad that you two met." She said

"Why is that?" Serana asked as she tilted her head a little.

"Whenever you're around Khara, she keeps smiling a lot. She seems more cheerful." Lydia said as she went to feed the flames.

Serana turned in her seat, her gaze following the Housecarl. "Isn't she always like that?"

Lydia sighed. "Sadly, no. She hardly smiles a genuine smile these days." This made Serana wonder what Lydia was talking about.

"What do you mean?" She wanted to know more about Khara and her past.

"When Khara returned from her fight with Alduin, something seemed off about her. As more time passed, she eventually stopped going to the tavern as often as she used to, she even stopped sharing her thoughts with me and everyone else as far as I know." Lydia looked at the fire as she knelt before it. The Housecarl remembered those long nights when she and Khara would just talk about all kind of different things for hours. "It's almost like the fire inside her weakened."

"Do you know the cause of it?" Serana asked

"No, but I do have an idea." Lydia said. "When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense, well it does for me anyways." She said. Serana nodded for her to continue. "You know, for a long time she worked and fought her way in order to be able to face Alduin and defeat him. And now that he is dead, she has completed her destiny."

Serana didn't quite see the woman's point yet, _wouldn't Khara be overjoyed by this massive accomplishment_? She thought. Lydia then continued. "She had completed what she was placed on this world to do, she had fulfilled the biggest achievement she would ever achieve. I think that after having worked so hard and so long towards something, and now when it's finally over, Khara feels like she lacks a sense of purpose."

Serana's eyes widened a little at the woman's words, it actually made a whole lot of sense.

"Khara's eyes is a gateway to her soul as well as her emotions, even though we don't talk, I've known her for a long time, I can see that she is lonely at times, worried and even angry at herself."

"Have you confronted her about this? The vampire asked.

"No, it's not in my place. I can only hope that she opens up and share her worries with someone again before it consumes her." Lydia was worried about her Thane, Khara had done so much for so many in Skyrim and she didn't want her to be unhappy. "Maybe you can break through those barriers of hers, who knows." Lydia said with a weak smile, one that Serana returned. They turned back to their books and after a little while, Serana had more questions about how in oblivion a man had managed to become a god.

While the two women continued their conversations in Breezehome, the funeral of Skjor was almost over. All the members of the Companions were there alongside with The Jarl and his court. Many had spoken about Skjor and his heroic deeds over the years, while others simply honored the man's memory by staying quiet. When it was all done with and most people had left the area, Khara was alone with Kodlak, both watching the fire as it consumed Skjor's body.

"I am sorry that Vilkas and Farkas almost attacked you and your friend at the gates the other day." Kodlak said as he was now standing next to Khara. "They are young and foolish, as Skjor would say."

"They seek only to protect their family, I can't hold that against them." Khara said with eyes glued on the fire before her.

"And it is words like that who makes you wise beyond your years, Khara." He took a pause before continuing. "Many in Jorrvaskr could learn much from you." He said, he had offered Khara to become a companion many times, but he always got the same response from Khara, a polite decline.

"Maybe, I guess we'll never find out." Kodlak chuckled at her response. "I found out who this Lord Harkon is. Me and my friend are going to get to the bottom of all these attacks." She said as she turned her head to look at the old man.

"Do you need our help?" He asked.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, protect the people. Due to this damned war, there aren't many guards left."

"Very well, I can only wish you a safe journey then. I hope you find what you are looking for, and remember, if you ever need our help, don't hesitate to ask." He said.

"Thank you." And with those words, Kodlak went down to Jorrvaskr and Khara to Breezehome.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by Lydia and Serana, it looked like they've had a good time, seeing to how they said their goodbyes when Lydia left for guard duty. "So what did you two get up to when I was gone?" Khara asked as she stood before the lit fireplace.

"Oh, we just talked about history and such." _And your beloved hagraven_. Serana continued in her head.

"Yeah? Anything interesting?" Khara asked while she used the telekinesis spell to remove her armor, leaving her once more in her common clothes that she was wearing underneath.

"Just stories about Talos, The Empire, people traveling to unknown lands, marrying hagravens, you know, the normal stuff." Serana said as she waited for Khara's reaction.

The wolf whipped her head around and stared at the vampire, eyes wide. "No, she didn't." Khara asked in a low whisper.

"Oh, but she did!" Serana crossed her arms as she laughed.

Khara fell limp into the chair in front of the fire and groaned. "She will pay for this, I swear." Her actions only made Serana laugh harder. "So, my _loyal_ Housecarl told you stories of my drunken adventure, huh?" Khara chuckled a little herself, she did see the humor in it after all. "So, did you talk about anything else or only my humiliating story?"

"Well, we did manage to find out how old I am." Serana said as she too sat down in front of the fire. Khara raised an eyebrow at the tone in Serana's voice

"I'm over four thousand years old." Serana said as she held the wolf's eyes. Khara simply looked at Serana for a few moments, her facial expression completely blank. Khara moved her eyes to the fire then back at Serana.

"I'd say you've aged rather well, Serana." The wolf said and it was her time to laugh.

Serana only snorted before speaking."Dork." Which Khara only hummed to.

"All jokes aside though, how do you feel about that?" Khara asked. "I mean four thousand years is a _very_ long time, the world must seem so different for you."

"In all honesty, I'm not sure. But you're right, it does feel like I've woken up in a different world, everything is so different." She smiled at Khara, she thought it was amazing that Khara had managed to say out loud the vampire's thoughts. It only showed how good Khara was at reading her.

"If you ever wonder about anything, just let me know and I'll do my best to explain it." Khara said, making Serana feel a little less cold.

As time passed, the two sat in front of the flames as they talked a little about today's events. "If you're ready, we can leave tomorrow morning. I know a man who will most likely have information about our Moth Priest." Khara said with her eyes closed and her voice low due to the lack of sleep.

"I'm all set, where are we heading?" Serana asked as she looked at the woman next to her.

"We're going to Riften, it's to the south-east of here. We'll travel to Riverwood then Helgen, over a mountain pass and then take a break at Ivarstead. After that it's only a few hours of riding before we reach the town of Riften." Khara said, sleep dripping from her words.

"Sounds good." She looked at the exhausted woman. "And Khara?" She asked.

Khara lifted her eyebrows, but her eyes remained closed as she hummed in response.  
"Hmm?"

"Get some sleep." She didn't get a response this time as the wolf had drifted into sleep. The only thing that could be heard over the howling wind outside was a strong, steady heartbeat. Serana too was a little tired, but could easily keep going another day or two before her eyes needed some rest. Just as Khara was very protective over Serana, she too felt the need to watch over her companion while she slept. In order to make time pass a bit faster, Serana grabbed a book, _The Wolf Queen, Book I_.

Hours passed and Serana was lost inside the book, but after a little while she noticed that the steady rhythm that Khara provided had increased its speed, her heartbeat was beating faster and still increasing. _What's going on_? Serana rose from her seat and placed the book down. Khara was having a nightmare and a bad one at that. Her breathing was heavy, her heart was running a mile per minute. She had her arms placed defensibly over her stomach as her eyebrows came closer together.

Serana knelt down to the wolf's side and gently placed her hand on Khara's leg, right over her knee, as she carefully shook it in hope to release the woman from her nightmare. And she succeeded, but something was off, Serana rose and took a step back, giving the wolf her space. When Khara opened her eyes, they were no longer glowing in that soft blue. The glowing effect was brighter, the color of her eyes lighter. Serana had only seen this look when Khara had been fighting. The wolf rose from her seat as she groaned, black mist appearing at her feet as she looked around, like she didn't know where she was for a moment.

Realization dawned upon Khara as she understood that the horrible things that had just happened was nothing more than a dream. She walked over to the wall and leaned her head at it, trying to calm herself down, successfully making the dark mist vanish. Serana walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, Khara tensed for a second before she realized who it was. "Sorry." Was the only thing that the wolf said, because she had probably spooked Serana a little.

"It's okay." Said the vampire as she let her hand fall from the wolf's shoulder and leaned her side to the wall, so that she was close and facing Khara who was currently trying to calm herself. "That must have been one bad dream, it sounded like your heart was about to explode." Serana said in a gentle, yet worried tone.

Khara chuckled weakly. "Sometimes Vaermina likes to visit my dreams. She keeps getting more and more creative."

"The Daedric Prince?" Serana asked.

"The very same." Khara answered.

Serana remembered this Prince, she enjoyed spreading nightmares amongst mortals. She also remembered that Vaermina was weaker than Molag Bal, and it gave her in idea. Serana herself was out of Vaermina's reach because of her being a Pure-blooded vampire, she carried the blessings of Mogal Bal himself and it gave her an idea, an idea that would let Khara get her much needed rest.

"You've probably guessed this, but I'm not your normal kind of vampire, long story short, The Dreamweaver can't reach me because of the blessing I carry. That was probably the reason I was able to wake you so easily." Serana said as she tried to get Khara to look at her. "If I were to be close to you, like I am now, Vaermina won't be able to reach you while you sleep. Let's get you in the bed and I'll sit next to you."

Khara only nodded before walking towards the stairs, too tired to make any jokes about going to bed with Serana. The vampire was sort of expecting a funny comment from Khara and was surprised when Khara only nodded.

"You're really not going to comment on that?" She asked amused.

Khara groaned. "Don't tempt me." Serana chuckled as Khara laid down on the bed on her stomach. Serana took a seat on the bed next to her and continued her book, maybe she sat a bit closer to Khara than she needed to, but neither of them complained.

"In the morning, you're going to explain to me how you managed to get on The Dreamweaver's naughty list." Serana said as she opened the book.

"Mkay." Khara mumbled into the soft pillow as she once more fell asleep. As she drifted into a deep sleep she moved a little, making her forehead lean into the side of Serana's thigh, the vampire only smiled at the wolf before continuing her reading. This time there was no bad dreams, no whispers in her head or feelings of dread. The only thing that Khara could sense was the faint scent of lavender, mountain flower and something comfortably cool against her head.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 4_

 _A journey to remember_

Small beams of light had managed to make its way through the few small windows that Breezehome had to offer. Somewhere during the night Serana had managed to find sleep and was now waking up due to the beams that roamed her face, offering the vampire little warmth. She had fallen asleep while sitting in the bed, not the most comfortable position, but then again, she wasn't planning on sleeping. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. It was still extremely early in the morning so she saw no need to leave the bed just yet, because snugly pressed against her tight or her whole right leg actually, was a comfortable warmth. During the night Khara had moved a little closer to her and Serana really didn't mind. In an attempt to get a little more comfortable, Serana moved her legs a little, which made Khara growl as she threw an arm over Serana's legs, just below her knees, and pulled them closer, all while being asleep.

To anyone else, hearing growling would probably make someone nervous, maybe even scared. But something told Serana that the wolf simply didn't want her to leave its side. The action only made Serana smile down at the woman lying next to her. Khara still had her forehead in the same position so it looked like Serana's idea worked, The Dreamweaver didn't find Khara's dreams during the night, finally giving the wolf her much needed rest.

Serana decided that she might as well continue reading the book, seeing to how she is being held in place. She was eager to find out more about all the things that happened during her stay at Dimhollow.

A little more time passed before Khara's breathing changed, indicating her waking up. "Huh, so I've taken your legs hostage now, have I?" Khara spoke in a low, husky voice. "I'm sorry." She said but made no effort to move. The wolf was a little surprised when she saw that she was _this_ close to the other woman, but something in her mind told her not to worry, and she was too much in a zombie-like state to argue.

The tone of Khara's voice made Serana look down at Khara in an instant. Khara was still not moving, but her eyes were opened a little. Serana chuckle a little. "I'm not complaining, you're very warm." Khara closed her eyes and smiled. "Did you have any more nightmares?" She asked the woman that was warming her legs.

"No, in fact I didn't dream at all, which is a very nice change. I don't think I've slept this well in the last two years." Khara answered as she removed her hand from Serana's legs and rolled over on her back, breaking all body contact, much to her wolf aspect's disappointment. "Thank you."

Serana chuckled as she looked at the book once more. "Anytime." Serana said. Khara smiled and stretched as she stared at the roof above. This should feel weird, uncomfortable or at least a little awkward, but no, it felt like, _like it was the most natural thing in this unnatural world_. Her wolf spirit told her.

"We should get ready, we have quite the journey ahead of us." Khara said as she stood up and walked over to the bedroom door before turning around. Serana was still sitting in bed with a book in her hand, looking awfully comfortable. Khara rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on now, you can bring the book if that helps." She offered.

Time passed and the two had already packed what they would need, potions, bandages, weapons and such. Serana picked up her cloak, or Khara's cloak before saying, "I forgot to give you your cloak back."

Khara turned to her and shrugged. "You keep it." She smiled as she tilted her head. "If sort of completes the whole mysterious look you got going, you know, with the hood and all."

"But, won't you get cold?" The vampire asked.

"I don't think that's even possible, with the dragon blood combined with that of the wolf. I mean, it feels like I'm on fire, but in a good way if that makes sense." She answered. "With the exception of falling into a frozen lake or something similar, I don't think I _can_ get cold. But what about you? I thought that vampires were resistant to the cold." She didn't know a whole lot about the creatures of the night, but she did know a little. Serana's vampiric blood combined with her Nordic resistant to frost should make it so that she wasn't bothered by it.

"We are, but just because we can't get hurt by it doesn't mean its comfortable." She told the wolf.

Khara nodded, "I've never thought about it in that way". Maybe getting Serana some new armor or something enchanted that provided warmth wouldn't be the worst of ideas. Thinking about enchantments, Khara remembered something currently residing in one of her pouches.

"Not many do." The vampire said with a small smile.

"On to something completely different, I have something for you." The vampire raised an eyebrow. Khara searched the pouches on her belt, not fully remembering which one she put it in, but she did manage to find it after a few moments. Khara brought her hand closer to Serana and opened her palm. In her hand was a ring made by ebony that had a small sapphire on it, it was a beautiful piece of art. It looked like the ebony was trying to swallow the gem, giving it a very unique look. 

"Now, I'm not going to get on my knees or anything." She joked, making Serana release a small laugh. "I thought that this could come in handy for you. Its enchantments are beyond me because I don't have a very good understanding of the more advanced spells in the destruction school." Khara said as she looked down at the ring.  
"But you do, I've seen how easily you cast them. It basically intensifies the spells effects, making them even more powerful."

Serana brought her hand up gently and accepted the ring. When her fingers came in contact with it she could feel its magic. "Woah, I can't wait to try some spells now." Serana smirked before looking at Khara. "Thank you, I'll put it to good use." Khara smiled and nodded before walking over to the door.

"So, you ready to do some more exploring?" She didn't get a response, or at least not a verbal one as Serana simply beamed at her as she walked rather fast past her. _I'll take that as a yes_. She chuckled.

After leaving Breezehome they had walked down to the stables to fetch Khara's horse and to buy another one. They got another horse because Khara transforming into a werewolf this time wouldn't be the best move, they were to travel on a rather busy road during the day _and_ through two small, but populated villages. Lydia had accompanied the two down to the stables before they said their goodbyes as the two sat out on their journey.

The road to Riverwood had been quiet, with the exception of a few hunters, they didn't encounter anyone or anything. They could now start to see the outskirts of the little village, just on the other side of the river.

They rode their horses over the stone bridge where they were greeted by a couple of fishermen. Khara noticed that the people of Riverwood had managed to finish some of the buildings that they were working on the last time she was here. Ever since the threat of Alduin had vanished many of the small villages throughout the whole of Skyrim was currently expanding or simply improving the already existing buildings.

"The people here seems rather cheerful." Serana commented after they had been greeted by at least a dozen people.

"Aye, they are. With Alduin gone, other villages and towns are expanding, thus buying lots of lumber. And with Riverwood being a lumbermill at heart, they make a lot of gold." Khara explained as they were now just about to pass the blacksmith.

"Good day, Dragonborn! Out on another adventure?" The smith said from his forge.

"Hello, Alvor. Me and my friend here-" Khara nodded to Serana. "-Are just on our way to Ivarstead. "

"Ivarstead, eh? You wouldn't mind delivering something for me to the innkeeper there, would you?" Alvor asked and he cleaned his hand with an old rag as he walked over to Khara.

"As long as it's something small, no." Khara said with a smile.

"Good on you, it's just a dagger for Wilhelm, poor lad is afraid of being robbed." He said as he handed Khara the dagger which was wrapped in leather.

"Can't blame him now, can we?" Khara said as she took the dagger and placed it in a bag with was tied to her horse's saddle. "We'll make sure he gets it."

"Thank you, now you two be careful out there!" He said as he returned to his forge.

Khara signaled to her horse to start moving again and Serana did the same. They left Riverwood and made their way towards the ruins of Helgen. Half an hour had passed and Khara could see in the corner of her eye that Serana had a little smile on her face as she looked around, taking in their surroundings as they rode out of the settlement. It seemed like Serana haven't been out much on the road, but if anything, it only made Khara smile at the woman.

"You haven't been doing much traveling before, have you?" She asked.

Serana looked over at Khara. "No, not really. I was raised at the castle and it was a rare occurrence I was allowed to go with my parents to the cities. I did sneak out every now and then, but that was about it. Now that I think about it, that castle was as much as a prison as Dimhollow." Serana said as they could now see Helgen's guard tower in the distant.

"Looks like we have a lot of travelling to catch up on then." Khara said as she took a quick look at her map.

Her words made Serana look at her in a certain way. "It would seem so." She said as she smiled at the wolf.

Khara then thought of something. "As a wise woman once said, _we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us_." Khara said with her head held high in order to give the sentence more character.

"That's pretty deep, who said that?" Serana asked, she did catch the meaning of it.

" _I_ did, just now." Khara said as she looked at Serana with a smirk on her face. Serana only shook her head in amusement.

Khara smiled at Serana before turning her head to look at Helgen. Khara forced her horse to stop and Serana did the same. The vampire followed the wolf's gaze towards Helgen, at the gate there was two men, bandits by the looks of it.

Khara turned her head to Serana with a wicked grin on her face. "Looks like you might get to see how powerful that ring really is."

They dismounted their horses and guided them over to the gate. The two men watched them with interest while they whispered to each other. Serana and Khara could smell their stench, it looked like they slept in the dirt. One of the men took a step forward and opened his mouth.  
"Hold it right there ladies. If you want to pass you'll have to pay the toll." He said as he let his eyes roam their bodies before continuing. "How you pay is up to you."

Serana looked at Khara. "Let me handle these." She said and Khara nodded before taking ahold of Serana's horse. Serana kept her head low and placed her hands behind her back as she approached the man.

"What are you suggesting?" She purred. The man straightened and took a step closer, hands on his belt.

"I think you know what I mean." He answered in a low voice with a smug look on his face.

Khara saw that Serana had a spell in her hand, it was a mixture of blue and green light. The light turned brighter as Serana's fingers moved around delicately. Serana raised the other hand and gestured the man to get closer, which he did. _This should be good_. Khara thought. Serana had placed herself so that the other man at the gate couldn't see what she was doing.

As the man lowered his head Serana whispered something in his ear as she touched his chest with her hand the spell was in. Khara saw that the man's face turned completely blank as he straightened up and turned to walk back to his friend.

Khara walked up to Serana. "What did you do to him?" Khara asked as she looked at the two bandits.

"Watch." Was the only answer she got before Serana nodded to the man she had been talking to. He grabbed his sword and plunged it into his friend's chest. The other man's eyes widened as he took ahold of the sword that was currently on its way out of his chest and grabbed a dagger. He stabbed his opponent again and again as he roared in pain, tears filling his eyes.

Khara and Serana simply stood there and watched the scene before them. The two men fell to the ground as blood was flowing out of their wounds as well as their mouths. Khara's eyes were wide, _what in Oblivion did she tell him_. She thought as she turned to look at Serana.

Serana felt Khara's eyes on her and looked at the wolf. She raised her hand and summoned the spell once more. "Vampire's Seduction, it makes it very easy to _persuade_ people." She said as she nodded to the two corpses before them. "Want to find out if they have more friends inside?" She asked with a smirk.

Khara returned the smile as she tied the horses to a small tree before grabbing the Ebony Blade. "Yes, lets. I've been wanting to try out my new blade for a while now."

They walked over to the gate and together they opened it, ready for whatever awaited them on the other side.

"Have you ever tasted skeever before? I'm telling you, it's almost like chicken, but only almost." Said the man who was currently tending the stew over the campfire. There was four sitting around it, hungry by the looks of it.

"Never tasted it, never will. I'll starve before sinking to that point." The biggest of the four said which earned him two hums of approval from the others sitting next to him.

"After selling all of the items we found in the houses, we'll be able to buy the best of meat and finest mead!" He cheered as he raised his cup and the others did the same.

They were so distracted by the food that was currently cooking that they didn't see the two women that were getting closer. Khara cleared her throat, making them jump from their seats as they turned towards them.

One of the bandits looked behind the two intruders and saw his allies lying in the dirt motionless behind them. "Well don't just stand there!" He roared as he looked at his friends. "Fucking kill em'!" He yelled and the others charged Khara and Serana with their weapons in hand.

Khara ran forward to meet them, her blood pumping in her veins, her eyes turning a few shades brighter as her blade clashed with another. This wasn't the fighting she was used to, normally she would fight draugr, vampires, dragons even. Its safe to say that the bandits didn't stand a chance as Khara easily moved around the two she was fighting, to Serana it looked like Khara was dancing.

Serana looked at the two other bandits who had their eyes on her. She was curious to see what the ring she was given could do, so she summoned a fire bolt and aimed at the closest target. The fire felt warmer and was burning a little brighter in her hands than normal, she let it fly towards her target hitting the woman in her chest, knocking her to the ground. The woman panicked as she tried to extinguish the flames currently eating away her flesh, she sounded like a banshee where she squirmed in the dirt. Serana summoned an ice spell and cast it at the man in front of her, slowing the man down. She then grabbed her dagger and plunged it up through his jaw, due to all the ice on his body he didn't fall, he simply stood bent over as the ice held him in place. Serana looked over to Khara who was pretty much just playing with her opponents at this point.

"Stand still you bloody hag!" Roared the man who was desperately swinging his axe after Khara. She finally ended the life of one of them with a single swipe to the throat. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!" He yelled again. Khara easily disarmed the man with an elbow to the side of his head. She placed her sword in the dirt before slowing down with all the movements. The man raised his fists and threw a punch at her, but Khara just grabbed his wrist, her werewolf blood giving her more and more strength. He tried again with his other hand, but she simply grabbed that one as well. She felt extremely powerful, she knew she could easily end his life and it made her smile.

The man's face fell when he looked into her eyes, it looked bright blue flames danced in them. There was no warmth to be found in those eyes, nor any coldness, just _nothing_.  
Khara then took in a deep breath.  
"No! No, plea-…"

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Serana's eyes widened as the watched the man get swallowed whole by the flames. Khara stood still as the burning corpse, if you could call it that, smoldered as it fell to the ground. Khara raised a hand to cover her eyes as she took a step back.

As Serana walked closer she could hear that the wolf's heartbeat was racing. Serana could sense Khara's worry, it was almost like she was hiding, scared that the world would see her. She moved so that she was now standing in front of the tense wolf. "Khara, look at me." Serana gently took ahold of the hand covering Khara's eyes. Serana moved the hand, but the wolf's eyes were closed, a look of concentration on her face as she was trying to calm herself. "Open your eyes." Serana said in a low and gentle voice that made Khara open her eyes in an instant. Serana looked into her blue burning eyes. She could see that Khara was annoyed at, _at herself?_ "They deserved this, stealing from the dead and making a living on their misery."

"I'm not angry because I killed him, I'm angry because of the way I killed him and that I took joy in doing it." Khara spoke with disgust in her voice. She turned her head to the side. "Sometimes I just get lost in the moment, sometimes it feels like I have some sort of…" She was struggling to find the correct word.

"Bloodlust?" Serana asked. Khara's eyes lit up and she looked back at Serana, the anger currently forgotten.

"Yeah." She whispered. She was worried, had she said too much? She had never admitted this to anyone before, but when it came to Serana she was so tempted to let it all pour out, too get all that weight on her chest to decrease.

Serana gave a little smile. "I know exactly how you feel." And she did, she was a vampire after all. Serana hadn't always been so in control of her hunger. And she remembers how horrible she felt after losing control. _Never again_.

Khara nodded before looking around. "Damn, we killed them all. I should have just knocked him out for you."

"For me? Why?" Serana asked.

"Well, you're hungry, aren't you?" Khara asked as she removed the blood on her blade with some cloth she ripped off a bandit's cloak.

"Oddly enough, ever since having your blood, I haven't been hungry." Serana said as she crossed her hands and wondered over it.

"That's strange? Do you feel unwell in anyway?" Khara said before her eyes widened a little. "I didn't poison you, did I?" She asked worried that might be the case.

"No, I feel fine, Khara. I'm just not hungry is all." Serana said, trying to let Khara know she was all good.

"Is it because of my blood, the dragon blood?" The wolf asked as she tilted her head.

"I think so, your blood is divine after all, literally." She said and Khara let out a little laugh over her clever words.

Khara could only smile back before she looked around them. She spotted a corpse being held up by ice. Khara nodded to the dead man. "I take it the ring worked well?" She asked ready to change the conversation.

Serana turned around before she spoke. "You could say that, I only had to cast two spells and that's saying something." The vampire answered amused by the sight. She turned her head back to Khara who seemed to be calmer now. "You ready to continue?" She asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Khara answered.

They walked over to their horses and left Helgen behind. They only needed to get through a mountain pass now before they would reach Ivarstead. Khara had used this road many times and she preferred it, mainly because it was rare that she encountered any trouble there. The path was narrow, making it impossible for bandits to make a camp to fight off the cold and the area was too small to serve as a home for predators. So, she was certain that they wouldn't run into anyone.

An hour and a half later they had finally entered the Rift. Except from all the snow and the cold, much to Serana's dislike, they managed to get through it unscathed and was now surrounded by colorful trees that populated the entire hold.

As they were closing in on Ivarstead a pack of wolves spotted them and was casually walking towards them, but Serana saw that Khara didn't get ready to attack or act in any way. "You do see those wolves, right?" She asked. Khara then turned her head.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about them, just bring your horse closer to mine." Khara said. Serana moved the horse closer as instructed and was a little surprised when the wolves walked past them, almost like they didn't see them.

"Why didn't they attack us?" Serana asked.

Khara smiled at Serana.  
"Perks of being a werewolf. They could probably see my aspect or wolf spirit, whatever you prefer."

"I didn't know that, is it the same for all werewolves?" She was curious now.

"I know that they won't attack a transformed werewolf, but I think they do when they are in their normal form. Don't quote me on that though, I'm not sure." Khara asked.

"How did you beco-…" Serana was interrupted by the loudest most hair-raising roar she had ever heard. The sound made both women stop their horses and look at each other with wide eyes. "Was that a-…" A roar could be heard again and Khara nodded.

"Dragon." Khara looked up in the skies and spotted a green dragon flying towards…Her eyes widened even more, _its flying towards Ivarstead_! "Come on, Serana! It's heading towards the village!" She said as she kicked her horse, riding as fast as possible towards the village with Serana right behind her.

They crossed a stone bridge and dismounted their steeds, not bothering to tie them this time. Khara's eyes were glued on the flying creature in the skies as she grabbed her blade. "You intend to fight it?" Serana asked still shocked that there was a huge flying lizard currently roaming the skies above.

"No, I intend to kill it." Khara said as she walked closer to an open area in the middle of the village. She knew that this wasn't a very powerful dragon because of the color of its scales, but she also knew that dragons were never to be underestimated.

Serana ran over to where Khara was and prepared herself for what was to come. A few guards ran towards them as well. "Aim your arrows at its wings!" Khara shouted at the guards.

"You're not our captain outsider, stand aside and let the guards handle this!" One of the men shouted.

"I'm the bloody Dragonborn! Now do as I say!" Khara roared, making sure that her Thu'um could be heard and felt as she said the words. The guards looked at her with wide eyes before nodding their heads. "Just focus on its wings, I'll do the rest!" She shouted to everyone.

The dragon came closer to them and roared before turning its head towards the local inn and letting out a shout. "YOL TOOR!" The flames from its mouth were heading towards the inn and could easily burn it down.

"FO KRAH DIIN!" Khara shouted. Her frost shout easily destroyed the dragons weak fire shout and she even managed to hit the dragon with it, making it roar.

"Dovahkiin! Hi viik dii kinbok, dii in! Rok fen kos nahlok!" The dragon said as he aimed at Khara and tried to land on top of her. She rolled out of the way and tightened her hold on her blade. The dragon raised its head before trying shouting once more, but Khara wouldn't let it.

"FUS RO DAH!" The dragon closed his eyes as his head was forced back by the shout. Khara ran under it and cut him under its left wing.

Meanwhile Serana and the guards were aiming and hitting the dragon at its other wing with spells and arrows. Serana collected her thoughts and focused her magica at the dragon, she seeped into the rings powers and felt an incredible force flow through her body and stopping at her hands as she raised them. Razor sharp pikes of frost appeared in the air around the vampire, she aimed and she fired. They hit the dragon at its wing, flying straight through the thin layer of skin, successfully tearing it up.

With both wings badly damaged the dragon had no chance to escape and it slowly came to the realization that it wouldn't leave here alive, but that didn't stop if from fighting.

Khara was now in front of it with her blade ready, she could see that the dragon was tired and used it to her advantage. "Gaan!" As the shout hit the dragon, its head fell to the ground and it struggled to keep its eyes open as Khara approached it. "Hold your fire!" She commanded the others. They did as she asked, but remained on alert in case the lizard tried anything.

"Hi los muliik wey Zu'u zent, Hi los Thu'um los zok mul. Bo nau, geblaan nii, ahst jok Zu'u krif ol pah dovah fend." The dragon said as Khara was now standing right in front of it with her blade raised over its head.

"Hi krif pruzah ahrk nu hi fen kos orgein voth un bormah ahrk zeymah." Khara said as she pushed her blade down into its head, quickly ending its life.

Khara took a few steps back as the dragon's flesh started to burn away. The light of its soul flew a few feet up in the air before swirling down and into Khara. She never did enjoy this part, sure she got its knowledge and a little piece of its power, but she also got all of its memories, the pain, anger, happiness, frustration. Whenever she absorbed a dragon's soul she felt like a stranger in her own body. She closed her eyes in hope that the images belonging the dragon would soon fade away.

Footsteps approached her and she looked up to see that the guards were now close to her, looking at the skeleton of the dragon. "By Talos, she…She did it, she killed the dragon." A man said shocked as he inspected the bones.

Khara wasn't in the mood to talk to the guards so she simply walked away from them. Serana had managed to gather their horses and was now standing next to the inn, Khara walked over to her. "You alright?" Serana asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's not the first dragon I've fought and it certainly isn't the last." Khara chuckled. "We were lucky it wasn't a more powerful one."

Serana nodded, still not sure what to say about the whole situation that just took place, after all it was her first dragon. She had seen drawings, but never one in the flesh. She had to admit thought, it was a beautiful beast. This was really turning into a journey to remember, this was her first dragon encounter.

A man walked out of the inn and looked at the two with a huge smile on his face. "You killed that dragon, you stopped it from burning my tavern down to the ground, thank you, both of you! Please if there is anything you need, a room to spend the night?" He asked the two women.

Khara looked at Serana. "I don't know about you, but I'm not really tired so, if you want we can continue to Riften after having a little break." She asked, getting that soul in her system really woke her up.

"Yes, sounds good." Serana answered.

Khara then turned to the man who was waiting for their response. "We'll stay for a couple of hours." She told him.

"Of course, I'll make you two some stew." Wilhelm said as he smiled at them.

"Wait, are you Wilhelm?" Serana asked the man.

"Aye, how do you know of me?"

Serana walked over to Khara's horse and took the dagger that Alvor had given them out of the bag. "We have your dagger from Riverwood, Alvor sent us." Serana said as she handed the man his new weapon.

He unwrapped it and smiled before looking at the two women. "Come on inside ladies, the food and drinks are on the house." He said and walked into the inn.

Serana turned to look at Khara who simply raised both her hands and gave Serana two thumbs up and a goofy smile. Serana just snorted at the woman before leading them inside.

They sat down at a table in the corner of the room just like they did back in Morthal when they first met. It was secluded and offered the most privacy. It didn't take long before Wilhelm came out to them with their stew and drinks, his new dagger hanging from his belt. "Here you go, hope you enjoy it." He said as he flashed them his biggest smile, which was understandable since they had just saved his entire business. He then walked back to the counter.

Khara tasted the stew and it was divine, horker stew was her favorite type of stew. She couldn't help but let a little moan escape her. She was currently in Sovengarde, the stew, the mead, the music, the fire, the company, the whole atmosphere just made Khara lean back in her seat and completely relax.

Serana chuckled at Khara's actions. "You sure seem comfortable." She said amused.

"Oh, I am. I really am, I freaking love horker stew, Serana. It's divine!" Khara threw her hands up in the air to make a point, a smile on her lips while she did it. She then looked at the vampire. "Are you hungry, _hungry_? Because I have a large healing potion with me, if I use it now I'll be good to go in an hour or so."

Serana smiled at her. "I'm actually good for the moment, but thanks."

Khara looked at her companion and smiled. "Alright, just let me know if you do get hungry, yeah?" Khara said as she took two cups and poured some mead to the both of them.

"I will, thank you." She said a little shyly.

"It's the least I can do since you helped me _finally_ get some real sleep. I feel like I could run to Solitude and back without breaking a sweat." Khara chuckled at her own words as did Serana.

Khara nodded to the other stew on the table. "You should taste it, it's really good." She said.

"No, it would just be wasted on me." Serana said as she eyes the stew.

"You can still enjoy food though, can't you?" Khara asked, having a little plan in the back of her head.

"Well, yes, of course." Serana said with a raised eyebrow. _What are you getting at_? The vampire thought.

"Then if you enjoy it, it's not wasted." Khara said as she threw Serana a clever look. "Besides we didn't pay for it, and I'm full." She said as she leaned back some more and patted her stomach. "Sure would be a shame to have to throw it away, now _that's_ wasting."

"Alright, alright, I'll eat it!" Serana had to laugh as she spoke, Khara really did know what to say in order to get what she wanted. Khara simply looked at her with a smug smile, obviously very happy with herself. "Try not to be too pleased with yourself now." She said amused.

Khara laughed. Traveling with Serana was something she could get used to, she really enjoyed her company, the clever comments and they just got along great. She felt like she could let her guard down more often, knowing that another was looking over her. Khara and her wolf aspect had a little conversation with themselves, unaware that they were being eyed by the woman sitting opposite them.

"What's on your mind?" Serana asked, she remembered her conversation with Lydia back at Breezehome, she could almost her Lydia say the words, _maybe you can break through those barriers of hers_. She could see that Khara was considering telling her, Lydia was right, looking into Khara's eyes did tell you a lot about her.

On the other side of the table sat Khara, currently having a silent debate with herself. _What if it's too forward, what if it makes her uncomfortable._ She asked her wolf aspect who whispered back, _we won't know before we try_. The wolf aspect said and continued, _lower your walls_. And so, she did.

"You." Khara furrowed her brows. She wanted to hit herself in the face with a fish. _Fucking idiot_. Serana whoever, saw that Khara had more to say, so she remained silent, letting the wolf have the time she needed. "I mean I like traveling with you. Unlike so many others, you know how to handle yourself in battle and not only that, but you also have humor and common sense, which is rare in Skyrim I tell you." Khara looked down at her hands.  
"I normally travel alone, but this-…" She raised her eyes and waved her hand between the two.  
"This is a good change." Boy was she nervous, what was going on in Serana's mind, what was she going to say, Khara was worried that letting her thoughts go wild like that would scare Serana somehow. But when Serana simply smiled at her all those thoughts went away.

"The feeling's mutual, Khara." Serana answered in a gentle voice.

Khara's eyes widened a little, _really_? Her wolf howled in joy and she was tempted on joining it in doing so, she lowered her gaze and smiled.

"Well, as I was saying before that dragon interrupted me." Serana said making Khara laugh. She lowered her voice and continued. "How did you become a werewolf? If you don't mind me asking that is."

Khara shook her head before telling Serana how she earned Hircine's favor. The vampire leaned back in her seat and relaxed as she listened to the tale.

Khara had just entered Falkreath when people had told her about a werewolf that was in the hold's prison. How she was given a cursed ring and how she slayed a majestic beast in order to ask Hircine himself to remove the curse. Khara had to prove her worth in a hunt in order for The Huntsman to remove the curse. She had traveled to the location given by Hircine where she was supposed to hunt with other hunters to bring down the werewolf. When she was about to kill the beast, it told Khara to spare him, it offered to be an ally to her and she accepted his offer. Together they killed the other hunters, something Hircine had enjoyed very much. They turned the chase inside out, the hunters became the hunted. Hircine was so pleased with Khara that he offered her his blessing, to become a Pure-Blooded Werewolf along with the ring, something that the Prince rarely did. Khara accepted it and that was it.

"I was unsure at first, as you know werewolves don't have a good reputation, but then he explained how much different a Pure-blood is. Since I hadn't defeated Alduin yet I thought that I could use all the help I could get, so I accepted and became his champion." Khara said as she took a sip of mead.

"Do you regret it?" Serana asked.

"There were some days in the start where I wondered if it was the right choice." Khara closed her eyes and in her mind, she could see her wolf spirit, it made her smile. "But after a little while I got used to it. You know, a werewolf's wolf aspect is like having another person in your head. It may sound awful, but it's like a wolf version of yourself, so you have the same likes, dislikes, opinions and you think very alike. Whenever I'm uncertain about anything or worried, it helps me calm down."

"That must be comforting." Serana said.

"It really is. People may come and go, but the aspect will stay with me till the end of my days." Khara took another sip of her mead. "Do vampires have anything like that?"

"No, but we can do something that makes us more connected to another vampire." Serana said as she looked at Khara.

"I've never heard about that, how do you do it?" She asked with curiosity.

"You pretty much just feed on each other, you know, drink their blood. I don't know how it works, but that makes it so that you share your feelings and thoughts."

"That's crazy, you could like, fight together and not even need to talk since you can hear the other person's thoughts. Can you always hear their thoughts or feel what they're feeling or just sometimes?" Khara asked.

Serana laughed at her eagerness to learn more. "You can choose if you want the other one to feel what you're feeling or hear your thoughts."

Khara leaned back in her seat. "I never knew that."

"Not many do, its a rather well-kept secret." Serana said as she enjoyed the warmth and music that the tavern offered. She enjoyed this very much as well, talking with Khara in such a relaxing setting made the vampire forget all the bad in the world. She closed her eyes and leaned back herself with a smile of content on her lips.

Khara saw how comfortable Serana was and smiled, giving the vampire a little more time to relax before they had to go out to reality again. They talked while time passed, they knew that they had to continue and all they looked forward to was the next time they could sit and enjoy a warm meal together.

"Ready to go?" Khara asked Serana. "It's going to get darker soon, so no more sunlight." Khara said, she knew Serana wasn't a fan of the sun.

"Yeah, I'm all set." Serana said as she rose from her seat.

As the two got their weapons back on their person and was about to leave, Wilhelm ran over to them. "Here you go, something for the road." He said as he smiled at them.

Serana accepted the bag and looked what was in it and smiled. "Thank you, Wilhelm. We appreciate it." She said as she smiled at the man.

"And I appreciate you two saving my business, stay safe and don't be a stranger!" He said as they walked out the door, smiling and waving at the cheerful man.

They mounted their steeds and turned to the road. "What did he give us?" Khara asked as she led her horse to walk alongside Serana's.

"Think fast." Serana said as she threw an apple to Khara, who caught it like it was nothing.

Khara's eyes widened and she smiled as she looked at the green form in her hand. "Yes!" She grabbed her dagger and sliced off a piece of it and brought it to her mouth.

Serana laughed at how fast Khara had managed to do all that. "I take it you like apples?"

"Aye, that I do. They are so sweet and tasteful compared to most of the food you can find in Skyrim."

"That is true." Serana said amused as she too took an apple.

After a few hours, they could finally see the town of Riften. Serana noticed that compared to the entire hold, the city itself was lacking when it came to colors, the whole town looked grey.

"Not to be rude or anything, but this place looks depressing." Serana said as they approached the stables.

"I can see why you would think that, don't worry thought, it's better on the inside." Khara said as she offered the other woman a heartwarming smile, that special smile that Khara only showed Serana.

Serana only nodded to Khara and smiled. She followed the wolf as they dismounted their horses and walked to the gate. As they got to the gate one of the guards opened it for them as he whispered to Khara.  
"Good to have you back, Boss." Serana raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet.

"It's good to be back, Rune." She answered just as quiet as she and Serana walked through the gate and entered Riften. As they were walking towards a wooden bridge Serana spoke.

"What was that all about, are you Thane here as well?" She asked while they were walking through a marketplace housing a few shop stands.

"I am actually, but that back there-." Khara raised a hand and pointed with her thumb at the way they came from. "-Was about something else. You see, I run a little organization in this town as you are about to find out." Khara said as she led them down to the town's canals.

"What kind of organization are we talking about?" Serana said as she looked at Khara as they walked.

"It's going to sound bad at first, so please let me explain?" Khara said as she stopped in front of a door, which looked like it headed into the town's sewer system, and turned to face Serana.

"Of course, I'll let you explain, Khara." Serana smiled at her.

"Okay, good." Khara turned around and used a key to open the door, she then held it open for Serana. "Ladies first." She said as she bowed her head, an action which earned her an eyeroll and a smile from the vampire. It was dark, extremely dark, but luckily for them, they didn't need any light in order to see where they needed to go. As Serana took a step forward she was surprised.

"I was expecting to smell like, well, like horseshit down here." Serana said as she took in a deep breath. The place almost smelled better in here than what it did outside in the town.

"Now what kind of woman would I be if I led you down into an actual sewer, I do have some class you know." Khara said, her voice turning very close to Nazeem's one at the end of the sentence, making Serana chuckle. "And I do believe that is the most offensive word I've ever heard you say."

"Huh, I think you're right, you must be a bad influence on me." Serana said amused.

"Oi, it's not my fault you got a dirty mouth." Khara said and they both laughed. It was no secret, they really enjoyed having these silly moments, it gave them a little escape from their current task.

"So, what is this place then? It looks rather nice in all honesty." The vampire said as she looked around the hallway there were current in, there were rugs on the stone floor, unlit torches hanging on the walls and some barrels and boxes lying on the sides.

"I would hope so, me and my fellow, erm, _colleagues_ spent a lot of time and gold in making it so." Khara said as she started to walk down the corridor.

"Your _colleagues_ , huh?" Serana asked.

"We're called the Thieves Guild, now I know how that sounds, but were good people, really." Khara explained.

Serana walked in front of her as they climbed down some stairs, where waiting to let her companion to catch up to her. "You don't have to explain yourself to me you know, I don't judge." Serana said as she gently placed her hand on Khara's left arm.

Khara's eyes looked into Serana's.  
"And I appreciate that." Khara said in a low voice. She was about to lead them over to a bigger room, that was until she saw a shadow behind Serana, she narrowed her eyes.

"This will show you not to be in the company of an enemy of the Thalmor!" The shadow shouted as its dagger was well on its way to stab Serana in the back of her chest, in her heart.

Khara's eyes widened, _what on Oblivion do I do!?_ The man who was about to kill her friend was too close to shout at, too close to block his attack. Khara's body moved for her, grabbing Serana's arm and pulling her towards herself at the same time as moving forward, she turned her body a little so that the vampire was now behind her as Khara had taken her place.

Coldness, that was the correct word to the scribe the feeling she felt right now, because on the left side of her chest, there was a dagger, currently digging its way further into her flesh. She fell to a knee, she felt like shit, _must be poisoned_. She thought. The dagger twisted inside of her as it made its way out only to meet her again where her neck and right shoulder met.

" _Argh_!" Khara groaned out loud as she grabbed the assassins hand, holding it in place. The assassin tried to get his dagger out of her, but it was no use.

"I will have your head, _bitch_! None may challenge the Thalmor!" He roared as he kicked her where the dagger had been in her chest.

Serana didn't know what was happening as Khara had taken her arm and pulled her away from the voice, by the time she had turned around, Khara had been stabbed. _No!_ Serana ran towards the assassin, she saw that Khara had fallen to a knee and been rewarded with another dagger to her shoulder. Serana grabbed the assassins throat and with one hand and she raised him off his feet and squeezed hard.

She walked him over to the nearby stonewall and slammed his body into it, making the stone crack in multiple places. The man grunted at the impact, both his hands on his throat as he tried to twist out of the vampire's grip. Serana wasn't having any of it and squeezed his neck with all her might, making his neck snap with a disgusting sound. She dropped the man and ran over to Khara who was holding her hand over the cut on her neck.

Serana took out a healing potion of Khara's biggest pouch and poured it over Khara's wounds. _It's healing too slow_. She placed a hand on Khara's back and another under her knees as she picked the woman up in her arms.

"Where do I go Khara." Serana's shaken voice asked as she looked around, the stress eating at her.

"To the right, up the stairs th-…" She groaned at the pain. "-Then through the door, in the middle." Serana walked where she was told. She could smell the blood, feel it even as it ran over one of her arms. She found the door and kicked it open with her vampiric strength. She could see what looked like a dining area or a bar at the other side of the room and moved as fast as she could.

It was cold, it was so fucking cold. The dagger had been poisoned with something indeed, as it made her feel a coldness she didn't know existed, it was _that_ cold. Her body felt numb, her eyes heavy and her mind foggy as she recognized the room they were in. She summoned all her strength to say one name.

"Brynjolf…" Khara managed to whisper before darkness claimed her.

**Dovahzul Translations**

 **Dragon:** Dovahkiin! Hi viik dii kinbok, dii in! Rok fen kos nahlok! - **Dragonborn!** **You defeated my leader, my master! He will be avenged!**

 **Dragon:** Hi los muliik wey Zu'u zent, Hi los Thu'um los zok mul. Bo nau, geblaan nii, ahst jok Zu'u krif ol pah dovah fend. - **You are stronger than I expect, you're voice truly is the strongest. Go on then, finish it, at least I die fighting as all dragons should**

 **Khara:** Hi krif pruzah ahrk nu hi fen kos orgein voth un bormah ahrk zeymah. - **You fought well and now you will be reunite with our father and brothers**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 5_

 _New territory_

"Why isn't she waking up?" Serana said as she sat on the edge of the bed. After Serana had managed to carry Khara into The Ragged Flagon she had yelled after Brynjolf, the name Khara had spoken before she fainted. People looked over to them before coming sprinting to help, Brynjolf had been the one to lead them into Khara's room where they stitched up the wolf and treated the poison she had gotten in her system. That was one day ago now, and Khara still hadn't awoken.

"You need to be patient, Serana." Brynjolf said as he patted the worried vampire on her shoulder. He wasn't as worried as she was, he knew Khara, he knew she was tough. A little poison wasn't the way she was going to die. "She is strong and pretty damn stubborn, she'll get through this."

"I hope you're right." Serana said as she looked at the sleeping woman laying before her.

"I know I am, she'll be up soon, I promise." He said as he walked over to the door. "You better lock the door after me, this one-" He pointed to Khara. "-Is going to need her rest, no need to let the other barge in here and bother her." Serana only nodded her head as she stood up, walked over to the door and locked it after Brynjolf.

Serana walked over to the other side of the double bed and sat down right next to Khara. She looked at the woman and saw that her left hand, the one closest to her, was moving slightly. Serana's eyes darted up to the wolfs face and saw that Khara's eyebrows furrowed together. _Another nightmare perhaps? Or just the effects of the poison_. Serana moved closer and slowly Khara's hand slowed down with its movements before lying completely still. Serana smiled a little, _it was a nightmare then_. Serana leaned back and closed her eyes, hopefully Khara would wake up soon.

It didn't take long for Serana's wish to come true. The vampire noticed that Khara was moving a little where she laid. Serana sat up straighter before jumping out of the bed and moving to the other side so she could better help Khara if she needed anything.

Khara groaned as she brought a hand up to her forehead which felt like it'd been hit by a giant's mace. For a moment she didn't remember what had happen, had she been drinking? Taking something she shouldn't have perhaps? She slowly opened her eyes, the weak light in the room was enough to make her flinch. She bowed her head and she felt sore, her entire body felt like absolute shit. Her eyes darted around the room as they adjusted to the new light, they moved from one wall to the next before landing on a person. Sitting on the side of the bed was a person who was looking at Khara with a smile on their face.

Khara smiled weakly. _I remember that face_. "Serana." Khara mumbled.

Serana moved a little closer and patted Khara's right leg as she smiled at her. "Glad to have you back, you had me worried there for a while."

Khara's smile grew. "It's good to be back." Khara said as she lifted herself up a little so she could lean against the headboard. "What happened after I blacked out?" She asked.

Serana rose from the bed and grabbed a cup of water for Khara. "Brynjolf and some others helped me get you in here, that's pretty much it really. I stitched up your wounds and made an antidote for the poison." She said as she handed the wolf her water.

"Thanks." Khara said as she took the cup and took a sip of it. She raised her eyes and looked into Serana's ones. "And thank you for saving my life."

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be laying in that bed to begin with." Serana said as a flash of sadness could be seen in her eyes.

Khara looked into her eyes and saw it. _Oh no you don't, don't blame it on yourself_. "This wasn't your fault, that assassin was going to be there anyways." Khara said.

"Maybe, but still. You took my place, it should have been me who got wounded, not you." Serana said as she looked away.

"Don't dwell on such things, it's already done." Khara said, but Serana still looked guilty. "The past is called the past for a reason, Serana, there is nothing we can do to change it, we can only learn from it." Khara said as she nudged her leg into Serana's thigh.

Serana turned her head back to Khara and gave a little smile. "Always at it with the clever speeches, aren't you?" She said.

"Always." Khara beamed at her. Khara also saw that she was out of her armor and was wearing leather trousers, but she wasn't wearing a shirt, the only thing covering her chest was her bra. _Well, good thing that is still on I guess_. She saw that she was wrapped in bandages, she also saw and felt that there was something over the other wound on her shoulder.

Serana smiled. "So, how do you feel?"

"A little numb is all." Serana nodded and got up once more and walked over to grab something on the other side of the bed. She got a little bottle that was at a table and moved over to the bed. She sat down on the side of Khara, the side of the bed that was unoccupied.

"Here, drink this." Khara took the bottle and smelled it before making a funny face.

Serana laughed at her reaction. "It'll help with the numbness." She said.

Khara nodded and drank its contents. "That wasn't as bad as it smelled." She said with clenched eyes as her hand went up to rub her forehead.

Serana raised an eyebrow. "Something else bothering you?"

"It's just a headache, it'll pass." Khara said as she waved her hand a little.

Serana moved to lean back on the headboard as well. She looked over to Khara and saw on her face that the headache was bothering her maybe a little more than she let the vampire know. "Give me your hand." Serana said.

Khara turned her head to look at Serana as she raised an eyebrow, but she did as she was told.  
Serana took her hand and brought it over to her lap, they were sitting that close to each other.  
She moved her thumb over the soft area on the wolf's hand, right between where Khara's thumb and index finger met, and placed her own index finger in the same place underneath in Khara's palm. She then started to massage the hand. Khara was surprised to just how soft Serana's hands were, _smooth_. "Whenever I had a headache as a child, mother would always do this. Something to do with the nerves in your hand and their connection to the part of your brain that controls pain, I think it was? I don't really remember, never did pay much attention to such things." Serana explained as she gently massaged the wolf's hand, making sure not to use too much pressure.

Khara's eyes closed themselves as she leaned her head back, she could get used to this. She could feel the headache slowly fading away until it was no longer there. The feeling of having Serana's hands on her own was very pleasant. The vampire's cool touch combined with Khara's warm one made it feel like their touch was electric and the feeling traveled throughout her whole body.

"Is its gone now, right?" Serana asked with a low voice.

"Yes." The wolf hummed.

"Good." Serana whispered and slowed down with the massage, but she didn't stop, she only made the movements of her hands to move slower. It caused Khara to look down at their hands due to their delicate caress. This didn't feel like an act between friends anymore, it felt intimate, sensual almost. And Khara found out that this didn't feel strange or wrong or, or anything. It was just right.  
"It scared me, you know." Serana said as she looked down at their hands.

Khara didn't say anything, she only turned her head to Serana.

"Your heartbeat was so weak at one point, I almost didn't hear it." Serana whispered as she could see the question on the wolf's face.

Khara decided to try something rather bold. She moved her hand slowly out of Serana's gentle hold on it.

The vampire thought that Khara felt uncomfortable and was trying to reclaim her hand, but that turned out not to be the case. Khara had turned her hand around, making it so that her palm was underneath Serana's. She then slowly stretched out her fingers, making Serana's hand fall down into the wolf's open one. Khara then gently stroked Serana's fingers with her own.  
"I'm sorry."

The tenderness of the action combined with the tone of Khara's voice made a feeling emerge from within Serana, something she only felt when she was with Khara. Now it was her time to be bold, the vampire moved her fingers against Khara's. She leaned into the wolf's side and placed her head on the unharmed shoulder and couldn't help but smile when the wolf hummed.

Khara closed her eyes for a moment, this feeling was divine. Having the weight of Serana pressed into her side, her hand in her own and the smell of lavender was just divine to the wolf. "Tell me something I don't know about you." Khara said in a low, gentle voice.

"Like what?" Serana asked.

"Anything." The wolf responded.

Serana smiled and closed her eyes. "I was twenty-five when I became a vampire, how old are you."

"Twenty-four." Khara said as she turned her head and ran her nose against Serana's hair, _sweet lavender_. "What's your favorite hobby?"

"Alchemy, by far. Yours?"

"Don't laugh now, but I love playing instruments."

Serana did laugh. "What?" She asked surprised as she turned her head a little.

"Yeah, you heard me, I love playing instruments. I'm not that bad if we're being honest." Khara said in amusement.

"And what instrument does the o'mighty Dragonborn play?" Serana said as she chuckled over some of her words.

"I don't know what it's called, I got it from a Khajiit merchant, but it's very similar to a lute." Khara said as she inhaled and closed her eyes.

"You got me curious now, you'll have to play it for me sometime."

"Deal, you ask a question now." Khara said as she turned her gaze to watch the flames in the fireplace.

"Alright." Serana thought about it for a second. "Favorite time of the day."

"Dusk, when the sun sets." Khara said with confidence.

"Why's that?"

"Because it's creates the most beautiful color that I've ever seen. Yours?"

"When the moon is at its highest point and the lights dance in the sky." Serana said without a doubt.

They continued like this for a while, asking questions and getting honest answers from the other. Hours passed and their little game had to take a pause when Khara's stomach demonstrated what a whale's mating call sounds like. Serana chuckled and got out of bed to walk over to Khara's side. "Come on you, let's get your stomach some food." She said as she handed Khara a shirt.

"Yeah, alright." Khara said as she slowly raised herself off the bed to see if anything hurt, luckily nothing did. She took the shirt and got it on as well as some boots.

"Did you get the chance to really talk to anyone beside Brynjolf out there?" Khara asked as she walked towards the door.

"No, not really, why'd you ask?" Serana said as she walked over to Khara.

Khara smirked. "You're about to experience how the Thieves Guild welcomes their guests." Khara said as she opened the door.

When they entered the Ragged Flagon most of the members and closest friends was there as usual during a late night. People cheering, singing, they had even managed to get a few bards down here that was currently playing their instruments.

"Eh, now would you look at that! The woman who keeps staring Death in the eye!" A man cheered as he raised his cup of mead high in the air. Every single soul in the Flagon turned towards the pair. The music stopped as everyone turned their attention to the Guild Master.

"Typical, Khara! You always knew how to make an entrance!" Another yelled, making the rest of the people roar in laughter. "A toast! To the one who got us back on our feet, who righted our wrongs and made all of this- "The man raised his hand and gestures to the entire room. "-Possible! To Khara!" He yelled on the top of his lungs.

"To Khara!" The others yelled in unison.

Khara took a step forward and gestured to the crowd to calm down. "Alright now, calm down. Let's just enjoy this night and show my friend here-" Khara patted Serana on the shoulder.  
"-How the Thieves Guild celebrate!" Khara said and the music started up again. People cheered and the atmosphere made Khara smile.

Khara and Serana walked over to an empty table and sat down. They were surprised when they got drinks and food right away. Serana looked over to Khara with a surprised smile.

Khara just shrugged her shoulders. "Perks of being the Guild Master I guess?" She said.

They sat and ate their food as they enjoyed the music. Some time passed and a few guild members were playing a sort of act, a performance and it was hilarious. Serana laughed so much that she started crying and Khara wasn't doing much better. The two women would sneak little glances at the other every now and then, and when their eyes met, they would simply share a smile. People came up and greeted them, introduce themselves to Serana and just talked with them about all sorts of things really.

The atmosphere was exciting for the vampire, she had never been in a place that had this effect on her. There was laughter, music, people singing and cheering, it reminded Serana of a time long ago when she still had a family. She thought about the time before her family became devoted followers of Molag Bal, before they became vampires, it reminded her of the few good years of her life. The vampire was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the man who was walking over to them.

"Now then, even though I know you got a soft spot for us-" A man approached them with a chair in his hands, he placed the chair facing backwards, sat down and crossed his arms as he leaned them on the chair. "-I don't believe that you came here just to say 'hello'."

Khara leaned back in her seat and crossed her hands as a smirk on her face made its presence known. "You're right." She then looked at Serana. "This is Delvin, Delvin this is Serana." Khara gestured to her female companion.

"A pleasure, Serana." Delvin said as she brought his hand closer to the vampire.

"Likewise." Serana responded as she took his hand and shook it.

"Now that's quite the grip you got there." He then looked into her eyes. "Ah well, that explains it. Don't worry, I won't tell." He winks to Serana before turning his attention back to Khara. "Right then boss, how may I be of service?"

"I need information about a Moth priest, goes by the name of Dexion." Khara said as she took a sip of mead.

"Moth priest, eh? Sounds familiar that." He placed his hand on his chin as he thought about it. "I do have some information written down somewhere in my office, how about this-" He leaned closer to his Guild Master. "-You enjoy the rest of the night, relax, drink, do whatever. And when morning comes I'll have all the information you'll ever need on the man."

"Alright Delvin, you got yourself a deal." Khara said with a smile.

"Good, now get some rest, don't think I don't see those bandages." He said as he pointed at her and rose from his seat. "Pleasure seeing you both." He gave a little bow to the both of them before picking up the chair and disappearing in the crowd.

"He does have a point, you should rest." Serana said from her seat.

"Yeah? Yeah okay." Khara rose from her seat and looked at Serana. "Do you want to say here with the others?"

"I'd rather not, some of them have been sending me these weird looks all night. And besides, I need to change your bandages." Serana said as she rose and walked over to Khara. They left the Flagon and when through the Guild's main room before entering Khara's room.

Khara sat down on the bed and leaned back onto the headboard. She took of her shirt and poked the bandages that were on her chest. Serana walked over to her, new bandages, water and cloth in hand. She sat down next to Khara on the side of the bed and swatted Khara's hands away from the wolf's chest. Serana removed the bandages and ran the wet cloth over it. "Looks like this one is fully healed." She said as she inspected the red line.

"That's good, but I don't think the other one is." Khara said as she looked down in her lap.

"You're right, I can smell the blood." Serana leaned a little closer to Khara's shoulder. "Come closer." She told the wolf.

Khara did as she was told and leaned closer. Serana removed the bandages that were on her shoulder and very gently cleaned away the dried blood on Khara's skin. The area was a little sore still so Khara let out a low growl. Serana leaned back and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry." Khara mumbled as her hands played with the top of her trousers in an attempt not to look at the woman sitting so very close to her, their thighs were touching for crying out loud, the vampire was _that_ close. "Hurt a little is all."

Serana smiled before leaning in again. "I'd say a few more hours and this should be closed as well." Khara only nodded and Serana put on some new bandages after cleaning the wound, but when she was done she didn't move back. Serana's eyes roamed Khara's chest, yes the wolf had her undergarments on, but the rest of her upper body was uncovered.

Serana saw that Khara's scar that started under her right eye and reappeared on her collarbone went a bit lower, to the swell of her breast before disappearing again only to show itself on the wolf's stomach once more. There was also another scar on her stomach, on the right side it looked like she had been stabbed. Serana moved her hand over to the scar and ran a single finger over it, she could see Khara's highly defined muscles move under her cold touch. "How did you get this?" Serana asked in a low voice, her eyes not leaving the line her finger were currently following. Khara lost her breath for a second at the touch.

Khara looked down to the vampire's hand. "Previous Guild Master stabbed me after I found out that he was stealing from the Guild." Khara answered in a just as low voice.

Serana gave a small nod before speaking again. "And this one?" She moved her hand to the other scar.

"A dwarven Sphere, starts under my eye and ends there." Where the vampires touch went, a trail of electricity was left in its wake, a delightful feeling. Serana's index finger followed the scar up her body and so did her eyes, slowly before meeting blue eyes. Khara's eyes were different now, the glow was gone and her eyes appeared darker than normal. 

"Why does your eyes glow?" Serana asked as she looked into the wolf's eyes, if she looked closely enough it looked like small waves were moving in them.

Khara's throat was awfully dry right about now. "It's because of my dragon soul." Khara was finding it difficult to speak due to the cool hand resting on her collarbone, over her scar.

"And why do they glow brighter sometimes?" Serana asked as her eyes traveled down to her own hand and she moved a little closer, the scar was suddenly very interesting.

"It reflects my mood, or feelings rather. They're brighter when I'm angry, worried or when I tap into my dragon aspect, might even look like they're on fire." Khara explained, she had been told about her eyes from the Greybeards themselves.

"When the glow is faint?" Serana's fingers slowly brushed against the wolf's warm skin. The feeling of electricity traveled to every part of Khara's body.

"Happy, content, relaxed." Khara's eyes made their way over to Serana's collarbone and up to the vampire's face. She wanted the vampire to get closer, needed it even.

"And when there is no glow?" Serana asked as she searched for the wolf's eyes as she moved closer, their faces only a few inches away from each other.

Khara looked back at Serana. "They've never done that before." She whispered.

"What are you feeling?" Serana whispered as her hand moved up to the wolf's neck while Khara's right hand found Serana's thigh.

"Excitement, longing, hunger." Khara whispered back as she looked at the softest lips she had ever seen. Khara's voice made that feeling inside Serana dance in her chest, it made her feel warm.

"For what?" Khara lowered her head the tiniest bit as she looked at the vampire. Her lips trembled as she tried to form words, but nothing came out. They were so _very_ close now, their breath mixed and Serana's scent was overwhelming. "What do you want, Khara?" Serana whispered as she nudged Khara's nose with her own. She wanted to kiss her so badly, but knew that this was something Khara had to initiate. Serana could hear everything about Khara, the flow of her blood, the rate of her heartbeat, her breathing, everything and it made Serana feel a shiver of excitement move along her spine.

The wolf only had to move her head a little for their lips to touch.

Khara moved her other hand to Serana's chin before she brushes the vampire's bottom lip with her thumb. She didn't know anything so soft could exist. Khara's gaze moved up from slightly parted lips before looking into the most incredible set of orange eyes. _Just like a sunset_. Khara moved closer to her so that their lips brushed against each other. Serana closed her eyes and let out a breath at the touch.  
"You." Khara whispered.

Khara moved her hand to Serana's cheek before leaning back in. She takes Serana's bottom lip between her own, slowly applying more pressure. Her eyes closed at the sensation and Serana's hand on her neck moves as another hand comes up on the other side, holding the wolf in place. Serana tilted her head a little, deepening the kiss while her hands caressed Khara's neck. Their lips moved together, their hold on the other tightened and both felt like time stopped. Ice and fire was dancing together making them both feel that thrilling electric flow dance through their body.

When the need for air became too much, Khara pulled back and let her hand fall to Serana's arm that was now resting on her shoulder. Their eyes remained closed and their foreheads leaned onto each other. Serana opened her eyes first and nudges Khara's nose with her own again, making Khara open her eyes. She looked into those blue eyes and couldn't help but smile.

Khara too had to smile, she even let out a silent laugh as she closed her eyes again. She moved her hand on Serana's thigh and squeezed it a little.  
"Hey." Serana whispered with a smile still on her lips.

"Hey yourself." Khara responded with a smile of her own as she opened her eyes. She raised her head and kissed Serana's forehead before leaning back against the headboard. Serana's hands fell to Khara's lap and Khara held them with her own.

Serana just sat there and looked at Khara. "You should sleep, you need to rest." She said as she stroked Khara's hand with her thumbs.

"I'm not tir-" Khara tried to hide a yawn. "I'm not tired." She mumbled.

Serana looked at her amused.  
"Aha, you sure about that?" Khara gave a lazy nod making Serana snort. "Move over, Khara. You need your rest."

Khara scooted over to the other side of the bed, bringing Serana with her as she moved. She laid down on her side, the wound on her shoulder long forgotten, while Serana leaned back onto the headboard. Khara leaned her head into Serana's side as she placed her arm over the vampire. Serana took a book from the table right next to the bed and continued her reading as she used her other hand to run her fingers through Khara's hair making the wolf fall asleep in an instant.

As Khara slept Serana couldn't help but look at her after every other word she read. The woman lying next to her was so fascinating in every single possible way to Serana. She didn't know what would happen tomorrow or the day after that and frankly she really didn't bother to think about it because right here, right now is where she wanted to be.

She hadn't felt like this in a long time or maybe she'd never felt like this before at all. The feeling was alien to her, it was strange, unfamiliar and unknown, but also exciting. She trusted Khara, felt safe around her and just felt cared for, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Khara had awoken something within her she didn't know existed and she felt it grow with every single passing moment she spent with her wolf.

Serana's eyes widened a little as she dropped the book to her lap. She moved her eyes over to white hair that was surrounding her fingers. _My wolf, is it now_?

A smile appeared on her lips as she ran her fingers through soft hair. Khara tightened her hold on the vampire as she let out a little hum and it made Serana's smile grow. _My wolf_. Serana kept reading for a little while longer before she decided on joining her wolf and closed her eyes as well.

When morning came creeping up on the pair, Khara was the first to wake up of the two. She sat up slowly due to not wanting to wake Serana. She looked at the sleeping beauty before her and smiled at the sight. _Looks like I wasn't the only one who was tired_. She got out of bed and put a blanket over the vampire before walking over to the door. Khara took one last second to look at the woman sleeping, Khara wondered if this was all a dream from Vaermina and that she would wake up soon only to find out that Serana never existed. _No_. The things this woman made her feel was beyond the power of any Daedra. She opened the door a walked out, looking forward to when she could come back.

She walked out towards the Flagon and when she got there she met Delvin's gaze. "Mornin' boss." He said as he patted the seat next to him.

Khara sat down and stole a sip from the man's cup and coughed. "By Talos, how can you drink something _this strong_ in the morning, Delvin?" She let the man keep his drink.

"I have my reasons, plus, it makes it so I don't have to share." He chuckled as he took a sip.

"So, did you manage to get some information about Dexion?" She asked as she looked around the room, nodding her greetings to the other members that she locked eyes with.

"Straight to business, eh? Alright." He got out some letters and placed them on the table for Khara to see. "He's an Imperial, long grey beard and grey robes. He is traveling alone, came to Skyrim five days ago."

"Alright, do you know where he might be?" Khara looked at Delvin.

"Aye, that I do." Devlin placed a map of the Rift on the table and pointed to a cave south-east of Riften. "You're in luck." He said and he was right. The cave was very close to Riften, probably would take them little over an hour to walk there.

"Is there anything there? I mean, why would a Moth priest go there?" Khara asked.

"There is an old fort there, Fort Dawnguard I think it was."

"Does anyone live there?" Khara asked as she looked at the map.

"No, it's been abandon for a long time. You might run into some bandits I guess, but I reckon that would be it." Delvin said as he leaned back in his seat.

"Alright then." Khara rose form her seat and patted the man on his shoulder. "You never disappoint, Delvin. Thank you."

"It's a pleasure, safe travels, boss." He said as he smiled at the woman.

"Will do." Khara responded as she walked out of the Flagon.

Delvin never ceased to amaze Khara, whenever she would need any information about anything, Delvin simply disappeared and reappeared a short time later with the wanted information. How he did it she didn't know and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know, somethings are best left in the dark after all.

Khara walked back into her room to find that Serana was still asleep on her bed. The woman had managed to fully lay down on the bed now and was lying on her side. The wolf felt something in her stomach at the sight and just like a moth drawn to light, Khara made her way over to Serana. She sat down behind her and couldn't resist to run her fingers through her hair. Her eyes drank in every single detail as they traveled lower, to her _very_ exposed neck. Khara couldn't explain what she felt in that moment, lust? Hunger perhaps? Whatever it was it gave the wolf a strong desire to feel the skin. She wanted to know how it would feel to run her lips along the flawless skin and since no one was there to stop her, that is exactly what she did.

She leaned closer and moved Serana's hair to the side, exposing her long, slender neck. Khara's senses was on overdrive by the time Serana's scent could be smelled, she closed her eyes and brushed her lips against the cool skin. That same electricity she had felt before was there yet again, making Khara swallow hard before doing it again, this time with a little more pressure. This was like being in Sovengarde, no, no it was better. The feelings currently inside her made Khara want more, she needed more. She parted her lips and started kissing the skin underneath her lips, it was starting to become warmer due to her actions. She placed her hand on Serana's hip as she placed kisses along her neck. _Gods I could do this all-day long_. She inhaled through her nose and placed one last kiss on the smooth skin.

She decided to slow down because if she continued, she wasn't sure if she could stop. She laid down behind Serana and nuzzled her face into the vampire's back, her scent was addictive to the wolf.

Serana moved a little where she laid before she rolled onto her back, much to Khara's surprise. "Did you just assault my neck?" Serana mumbled amused. She had been awake during the whole thing.

Khara was a little embarrassed to be honest, she had been caught. So, she hid her face in the crook of Serana's neck. Serana chuckled a little as she brought a hand up to Khara's head and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't deny it." Khara mumbled into her neck, you could hear that she was embarrassed.

"Do you hear me complaining, Khara?" Serana said in a low, gentle voice with a smile on her lips. She ready didn't mind, having Khara pay so much attention to her felt beyond amazing.

"No?" Khara answered unsure.

"Then don't hide." Serana said as she moved a little back from Khara so that she could see the woman's face. Serana chuckled at the sight, Khara laid there on her back with both hands covering her face. "No, don't hide!" Serana laughed and Khara just groaned in response.

Serana moved so that she was hovering over Khara. "Don't hide from me." She whispered as she lowered her face and placed a kiss on one of Khara's hands. As she ran her lips over her hands she grabbed one with her own and slowly moved it away from the Wolf's face, she then placed featherlight kisses on her cheek, before moving closer to her mouth. "Khara." She whispered extremely low. She kissed the corner of her mouth before Khara moved her other hand and placed it on the vampire's cheek, Serana smiled and placed her lips on Khara's. The wolf inhaled sharply through her nose as she moved her lips against Serana's. "Don't ever hide from me." The vampire mumbled against her lips before she moved to kiss Khara's cheek and then moving over to the wolf's ear. "And don't ever be embarrassed of showing your feelings." She whispered, making the wolf whimper and nod. "Good." Serana was very pleased with herself at this point. Khara's heart was beating like crazy and her facial expression was to die for. "Did you talk to Delvin?" She asked as she ran her finger along Khara's jaw.

Khara had her eyes closed while she raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Mhm." Was the only sound she could make, much to Serana's enjoyment.

"And?" Serana dragged out the word. She moved away from Khara's face so that her wolf could speak.

"Dexion is in a fort not far from here." Khara answered, relieved that she could breathe again. She stood up from the bed rather fast and grabbed her armor, using her magic to get it on fast. "Fort Dawnguard, it's supposed to be abandoned, but we might run into some bandits." As Khara got her armor on Serana simply laid on her side, using one hand to support her head while the other rested on her hip as watched her wolf.

"Yeah?" She said as her eyes roamed Khara's form, finally she could do this without getting in trouble and besides, who knew how long it would be till the next time her wolf would be wearing normal clothes, Serana simply took advantage of the situation.

After Khara had her armor on and her blade and dagger equipped she turned around and looked at Serana. Her hands that were on her belt, making sure all the pouches were tied on, fell to her sides when she saw the vampires position. She tilted her head and looked at her with what Serana would say was two very _hungry_ eyes. _Divines help me_. Khara thought.  
"You coming?" She asked and flinched at her own words.

Serana smirked at the wolf's poor choice of words. _Okay, enough torture for now_. Serana said to herself in her mind. "Definitely." She answered cheerfully with a charming smile as she rose from the bed, grabbed her dagger and cloak from a table and walked over to Khara. "How far is it?" She asked.

"It's very close, an hour or two of walking? I'd like to keep our horses here, they could use the rest." Khara said as she opened the door for Serana.

"Good idea, I don't mind walking in this hold, the nature is so beautiful." Serana said as she walked past her wolf.

"Yeah it is." Khara agreed and followed Serana out to the Flagon. A few of the members were there probably getting their assignments for the day from Delvin and Vex.

"Leaving so soon?" Brynjolf asked from his seat.

"Aye, duty calls. And when we come back I'll need a favor." She asked with a smile.

"Alright, I do owe you a few if I remember correctly." He said as he chuckled and rose from his seat. "Can I have a hint?" He asked as he walked over to them.

"Just make sure that the Khajiit caravan don't leave till we return." She said.

"Done." He said and shook Khara's hand, they never really cared for hugs. "It was a pleasure, you too be safe now. No more almost dying, Khara." He said as he pointed at Khara.

Khara raised both her hands. "No promises." She said, making Serana look at her and give her a light punch on her arm. "Ow, Okay, okay. We'll be careful." Brynjolf only smirked.

"Never thought I'd see the Guild Master so, so _shackled_." He whispered amused mainly to himself, but both women heard him.

Khara sent him a look that could kill while Serana laughed as she pushed Khara towards the exit of the Flagon. They walked through some rooms and hallways before getting to the door that would bring them out to the town's canals.

"How are you feeling?" Khara asked as she led them through the door and up some stairs.

"I'm good, great actually." Serana answered as she looked at Khara as they walked. "And you?"

Khara smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Serana. "Can't complain really."

"I liked the Flagon and your Guild members, it was fun." Serana said as she looked towards the town's gates with a smile on her lips.

"We'll be back there by the end of the day." Khara responded as she nudged Serana's shoulder with her own.

"Can't wait." Serana said happily.

They got out of the town and was well on their way to Fort Dawnguard or to the cave that would lead them there. Khara had marked its location on her map while speaking with Delvin earlier, and saw that they weren't too far from it now. The Rift was probably the hold she had been in the least, she had never been to the south-east of Riften before. She was wondering if this Dexion person would even help them read their scrolls, hopefully he would.

While Khara was lost in her thought, Serana was currently doing the same with her own. So many things were racing through her mind, thought of her father, of her mother and this quest they were on. What would happen after they had read the scrolls? Would it be enough to stop her father's plans or could she talk him out of it perhaps? Serana was worried that she would be forced to do something horrible when the time came, something that would make it so that she was the last of her family in Nirn. Her thoughts then went to her past, all the things she had seen, done and learned. She thought about her mother and their time together. The more she thought about her past, the sadder she became.

Khara noticed this. "What's on your mind?" She asked in a gentle voice.

Serana looked into her wolf's eyes and gave a weak smile.  
"Just looking back at the past." She answered.

"Want some _possibly_ good advice?" Khara asked as she looked forward.

"I guess?" Serana chuckled, _possibly good advice_?

"Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way." Khara said. "Might be a bit harsh when I think about it. It does have a point however, how can you see where you're going if you're eyes and thoughts are stuck in the past." Khara said.

"I get it, did another _wise woman_ tell you this?" Serana understood the meaning and it got to her, so she took the advice and focused on the path ahead.

"A friend did, a very old friend. If everything works out with Dexion and all, I'll take you to meet him." Khara said with a smile.

"Alright, where does this friend live?" She asked with interest.

"On the tallest mountain." Is all Khara said in response to Serana. Khara looked up and saw a fallen log next to a cave entrance, _the_ cave entrance in fact. "This is supposed to be it." Khara said and looked over at Serana.

"Let's go and get our Moth priest." Serana said and walked past Khara as she sent her wolf a charming smile. Khara stopped for a second, but managed to follow Serana after a moment.

They walked through the short cave before coming to an opening. They followed a dirt path as they could see two waterfalls and a small lake. The water of the lake was like glass, you could see right through it, the whole area was just beautiful, one of Skyrim's many hidden gems. "I never knew about this place, it's captivating." Khara said as she looked around them. She spotted what had to be the fort. "Look over there." She nodded towards the fort. Serana followed her gaze. "I bet our priest is somewhere in there." She said as she looked at Serana with a smile on her lips.

"I think you're right." Serana said as she looked at the fort. They started walking towards it when a scent hit them, making the pair stop.

Khara raised her head and inhaled through her nose before looking at Serana. "Blood? Vampire blood." She said. Serana nodded, there was indeed a strong scent of blood in the air. Khara then casted a spell.  
"I can see some in the distant, but it's all blurred together, I can't tell how many." She said as she narrowed her eyes towards the fort.

"Detect dead?" Serana asked and Khara nodded, still trying to see how many there is. "Maybe you should transform, if they work for my father their knowledge of werewolves is going to be lacking, to say the least. And you may even scare them." Serana said.

"I think you're right." Khara said as she turned to face the vampire. She made sure her weapons sat tightly in their sheaths before calling her wolf aspect. Mist appeared and swallowed Khara before she emerged in her beast form.

"Go and see if you can't get the drop on them, I'll be the distraction." Serana said as she eyed her wolf. Khara nodded and jumped on some rocks before disappearing up the side of a hill.

Serana walked up the path and the smell of dried blood was now stronger in the air. She saw three lesser vampires surrounding what looked like a corpse. _That must be the source of the smell_.

"I'm impressed really, I didn't know the thrall could take so many blows." One of the vampires said as he poked the corpse his foot.

"I don't exp-" The one who spoke turned around and spotted Serana who was just casually walking towards them. "And who might this be! You lost there, lady?" He said with a wicked smile.

"Ah, looks like we don't need to go hunting, always nice when dinner comes to us." Another spoke as she walked over to the side of Serana while still keeping a good distance.

Serana stopped and removed her hood, exposing her eyes. The vampires all stopped in their tracks, eyes wide and mouths slightly open. "We're terribly sorry, my Lady. We didn't know any Royals would come here." One said as he bowed his head in respect.

"Which one is that?" The female spoke to her male companions.

"Which clan do you belong to?" The other male asked.

"Clan Volkihar." Serana said as she readied a spell in her hands

The eyes of the female widened as she backed away from her. "You're Lord Harkon's daughter! We have orders to bring you back to Castle Volkihar." The woman said as she looked at Serana. "With or without your consent, _my Lady_." The vampires drew their weapons when Serana raised her hands, showing her spell.

"You're not taking me anywhere." Serana said as she casted a frost spike towards the female's feet, freezing them in place so that she couldn't move. She then moved to dodge the attack from one of the other vampires. When she turned around to face the man who charged her she found him on the ground with a very angry looking Khara on top of him, ripping him to shreds.

Khara ran over to the stuck female and grabbed the vampire's head before placing her teeth around the vampire's throat and ripping it open with a twist of her head. Serana moved over to Khara and together they looked at the last vampire. Khara had blood dripping down from her mouth while looking the vampire straight in the eye and Serana summoned a firebolt in her hand, she too was looking at the vampire.

He was shaking like crazy and when Khara let out a hair-rising deep growl as she took a step towards him, the vampire dropped his blade and ran down the path they came from, making Serana snort.

They followed his fleeing form with amused smiles, or Serana did at least, Khara was just flashing her teeth. "Let's get this done with." Serana said as she opened the door to the fort and letting Khara through. They sneaked through the entrance and listen for any sounds to guide them. Khara had lowered herself to all four while they moved towards what sounded like two men talking.

"Submit yourself to me priest, you are only delaying the inevitable." A deep male voice spoke. Khara and Serana moved closer and could see an orc vampire and an old man. _That must be Dexion_. They both thought. They were in a huge circular room now, pillars, crates and boxes laid all around the room, giving the pair many possibilities to move around.

"Never, I will never serve you." The man, Dexion said as she was struggling to stand. His eyes were closed and there was a little blue light around him that were getting smaller for every passing second.

"You cannot resist my will for much longer, priest. You will serve my Lord." The orc said as he walked closer to the man, making the light fade some more.

Dexion opened his eyes and met orange ones, but not the ones belonging to the orc. Serana raised her finger to her lips as she held the priest's eyes. She then moved over to another pillar while Khara stayed where she was.

Maybe it was because of the blood around Khara's mouth that made their presence known or maybe the orc could simply feel that there were others in the room. Nonetheless, he turned around and spotted the wolf. "Useless, I should have known that three _weak_ vampires weren't smart enough to guard damn door." He said as he moved his hand to his back and grabbed an ebony battleaxe, a fitting weapon for a big orc. "Come then, you'll be good practice." He growled. Khara walked out of the shadows and as the orc could see how big Khara really was, she got on her feet and showed that she wasn't like the average werewolf. It made the orc release a small whistle. "You'll make a fine trophy!" He roared as he ran towards her, but in mid-charge he was pushed by an incredible force, making him fly in the air and hit a wall.

He got back up and saw that the wolf running towards him. He dodges a claw and moves his axe to the wolf's shoulder, cutting it slightly with his razor-sharp axe.

Khara whimpered and kicked him away with her foot, staggering him before walking around him in circle before stopping.

Serana moved over to her wolf and cast a fire spell around the orc, trapping him. "Now I remember that face." The orc spat as he pointed to Serana.

Serana looked at his face and narrowed her eyes. _Is that_? "Malkus?" Serana said surprised.

"So, you do remember me." He was furious. "This is pathetic, Serana. Not only did you betray you clan, but you sided with this-" He pointed to Khara. "-This _beast_? Lord Harkon will reward me after I've killed your _pet_ and brought you back to him. " He said with a smirk.

"You will not touch her!" Serana was angry now, like _really_ angry. The flames around Malkus rose and became warmer as they moved closer to the orc. He tried to jump over its walls, but was only pushed back by Khara.

"No! It's not supposed to end like this!" He roared with all his might. Serana focused all her magica now on the orc standing before her. She pushed the flames towards him, watching as they swallowed him whole. "Aghhh!" He screamed in agony as he moved around, desperately trying to get the flames off him, but it was no use as he fell to the ground. All there was left of him in the end was a burned black form. Serana stood frozen, her brows furrowed.

Khara transformed back to her human form and walked over to Serana. "You alright?" She asked as she placed her hand on Serana's cheek, making the vampire look at her. Serana looked into those blue eyes of comfort and nodded. Khara looked back at her and gave a little nod as well before looking over at Dexion who was leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed. She then turned her gaze back to Serana and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Come, were almost done here." She whispered.

Serana looked at her and gave a little smile before turning her body towards Dexion. They walked over to the man. He opened his eyes at the approaching footsteps and straightened himself where he stood, he looked a little worried.

Serana heard his heartbeat and slowed down with her approach and raised her hands. "We're not going to hurt you or force you to do anything, Dexion." She said in a calm, smooth voice.

"Oh, thank you." He said in a relieved voice as he bowed down and placed his hands on his knees, poor man looked exhausted. "Who are you and how do you know of my name?" He asked when he stood up again.

Khara took a step forward and spoke.  
"I'm Khara and this-" She pointed to Serana. "-Is Serana. We've been looking for you, we need your help, Dexion."

"You have it, you two saved my life, it's the least I can do." He said with the biggest smile Khara had ever seen. "How may I assist you." He asked as he walked over to them.

Khara looked over to Serana, the vampire nodded to her wolf. Khara's gaze traveled back to the man and held his eyes before she took a deep breath. "We need you to read two Elder Scrolls for us."


	6. Chapter 6

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 6_

 _Old friends_

"Dexion will be transported by the Khajiit caravan disguised as a merchant. Rune and Sapphire will also be with them dressed as guards in case they run into trouble." Brynjolf said as he looked over to the others sitting around the table.

"Yes, the caravan will drop them off at Ivarstead. We know the innkeeper there." Khara handed a letter over to Sapphire. "Just give that to the innkeeper, Wilhelm and he'll sort you out."

"Sure thing, boss." Sapphire said as she grabbed the letter.

"Good, you and Rune can leave when me and Serana get there." Sapphire nodded. Khara looked over to the priest. "When me and Serana get there, we'll travel up to High Hrothgar."

"Very well, but why won't you two travel with us to Ivarstead?" Dexion asked.

"Because I don't have both Scrolls at the same location. While you travel to Ivarstead, we are going to fetch the other one." Khara explained to the group.

"Brynjolf and Delvin here will spread false rumors that a Moth priest is currently in Winterhold doing research on a dwarven ruin. Hopefully if anyone comes looking for him, that's where they'll end up."

"Aye, we've already sent ravens to most of the province's taverns." Delvin said as he patted Brynjolf on his shoulder.

"That's clever, when do we leave?" Rune asked as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed.

"In an hour if everyone is ready?" Khara asked as she looked around, everyone nodded to her. "Alright, get ready then. We'll meet at the stables in an hour." And with that the group left the table and Serana and Khara walked to Khara's bedroom.

After Dexion had agreed to read the Scrolls for them they had traveled straight back to Riften. The old man said that he would need some time in order to prepare to read them. Khara thought that he would be safe at High Hrothgar, hopefully the Greybeards would let him stay there.

Once inside Khara removed her armor and sat down at the bed before removing her shirt. She then removed the bandages from her shoulder. Serana walked over and placed her hand over her wolf's new scar.

"Good to see it's fully healed." She said as she took the used bandages and placed them on a table. Khara stood up and put on the shirt again before walking over to Serana and leaning back on the wall with her arms crossed.

"Serana?" She asked in a low voice. The vampire looked into her eyes and raised her eyebrows in response. "Are you hungry?" Khara asked.

Serana looked at her. "A little." She responded with a small voice.

Khara smiled at her before looking around the room, there were no cups, but it only made Khara's smile grow. There was something she wanted to try. "Alright then, let's fix that."

Serana looked around the room and was about to head out to get a cup before a warm hand grabbed her wrist. Khara looked at her as she raised one hand to move her shirt a little, exposing more of her neck. Serana's eyes followed the slender neck before looking back into Khara's eyes. _Is she doing what I think she's doing_? Serana's eyes widened a little. "Are you…?" She then looked at Khara's neck again and gave a small nod towards it before looking back into the wolf's eyes.

Khara smiled and gave a small nod. Serana turned her head a little to the side while still meeting her gaze. The offer was pretty tempting to the vampire, but drinking from a willing victim was very intimate. "That's very _personal_ , Khara. You don't have to." Serana said in a low voice.

"And if I said that I wanted to?" Khara asked in a low voice of her own as she lowered her shirt some more, giving the vampire an even better view of her neck. _So, the wolf does know how to play_. The vampire thought.

Serana looked at the neck, she could hear the flow of blood underneath the skin and it made her wet her lips. "Then who am I to deny you?" Serana said in a low voice as she walked closer to Khara. She searched Khara's eyes for any sign of doubt. They were so close to each other now so that they could feel the other's breath. "Are you absolutely sure? It might hurt a little." She asked.

"Yes, you took care of me when I needed it, let me do this for you." Khara whispered and Serana nodded with a smile before pressing her lips against Khara's, she then left behind a trail of featherlight kisses as she moved over to Khara's neck. The scent of raw fire was so strong now that it made Serana close her eyes as well as any space between their bodies. She leaned in and ran her lips over the exposed skin before placing a wet kiss on it. Khara tilted her head even more and moved her hands to Serana's back, holding her in place.

Serana took in a deep breath before gently lowering her fangs into the warm, soft skin and in the second Khara's blood hit Serana's tongue, she was lost. _By the blood._ Serana couldn't help but groan at the taste and press against Khara a little harder. It was almost impossible to describe the taste, but it felt like fire ran down her throat in the most delicious way possible. Khara's blood made every single thing Serana had ever tasted before seem so _dull_ , lifeless and tame. This was something new and exciting, it was addictive. She felt an incredible feeling in the pit of her stomach and was struggling to keep herself from swallowing mouthful after mouthful, but she remained in control. Khara's blood was divine when she had gotten it in a cup, but this? This was beyond divine. Serana moved one hand to Khara's neck and the other one to her hip.

Meanwhile Khara was struggling to stand on her feet, she had no idea that it would feel like this for the victim. Her breathing increased with her heartbeat, she felt a little sting when Serana's fangs bit down into her neck, but the pain quickly faded and was replaced by something else, something rather enjoyable. She moved one hand up to Serana's neck as she let out a little whimper.

Serana slowed down before stopping completely. She ran her tongue over the two bite marks to stop the flow of blood before capturing the few drops of blood that were rolling down the neck with her lips. She too was breathing hard at this point, she leaned back slightly and turned her head towards Khara's where she was met with eager lips, something she really didn't mind.

Khara swiftly turned Serana around, pressing her against the wall as she kissed her. "No more cups, _ever_." She mumbled against cool lips as she pressed her body harder against the vampire, making Serana groan.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ "Oi, boss. We're moving out in a few." They heard the muffled voice of Brynjolf on the other side of the door.

Khara moved her head towards the door. "Alright, we'll meet you out there in a moment." She answered and they could hear footsteps walking away. She turned her head back to Serana and met orange-glowing eyes and couldn't help but smile at the woman before placing one last kiss on the softest lips.

"Get your armor on." Serana mumbled against her lips while tightening her hold on her wolf.

Khara only chuckled. "Let go of me then." She whispered amused, making Serana groan as she let go of Khara. They shared a look before Khara took a step back with a grin on her face. She walked over to the bed and got her armor back on.

Serana walked over to a chair and sat down, still a little dazzled by what had just happened. "Where are we going again?" She asked as she looked at the woman before her.

"Eldergleam Sanctuary. It's to the north-west." Khara said as she got her Ebony Blade on her back and dagger on her belt.

Serana nodded and rose up when she saw that Khara was ready. Together they walked out of the room, through the Flagon and out towards the stables. There they were greeted by the group and the Khajiit merchants.

"Right, everyone knows what to do?" Brynjolf asked and everyone nodded to the man. "Good." He walked up to the leader of the caravan. "This should be enough, don't you think?" He said as he handed the Khajiit a bag of gold.

"Yes, this is very good." The Khajiit said as he put the bag on his belt. "We'll make sure they get to Ivarstead."

"Alright, let's move out." Rune said as he clapped his hand together and jumped on his horse. The caravan moved out and towards the west, towards Ivarstead as the two woman got on their own horses. They said goodbye to Delvin and Brynjolf before riding towards their destination as well.

"Can I ask you a question?" Serana said after a while of a comfortable silence. They had been riding for maybe two hours or so and had passed the little mining village of Shor's Stone a little while ago.

"Of course you can." Khara said as she sent Serana the most charming smile.

Serana felt a warm sensation at the smile and smiled back before asking. " How many titles do you have?" She had been wondering about this for a while now.

Khara laughed as she thought about it."Dragonborn, Guild Master, Archmage and Thane in Riften, Whiterun, Morthal, Solitude and Falkreath." Khara said while using her hand to keep track of the titles.

"That's impressive, it must have taken you a while to gain them all." Serana asked a little surprised.

"I got them all over the period of four years, I became Thane of Whiterun the same week I came to Skyrim." Khara smiled at the memories, even though her introduction to Skyrim hadn't been the best, it was still the best years of her life.

"Where were you before you came to Skyrim?" Serana didn't know this, she thought that Khara was born and raised in the province.

"Cyrodiil, I was traveling around getting jobs wherever I could before I came here in order to pay for the food and all."

"That's sounds tough, didn't your parents provide for you?"

"I never knew them, for all I know I don't have any, I've been on my own for as long as I can remember."

"What do you mean? Surely you remember someone taking care of you during your childhood?"

Khara turned her head to Serana. "I'm not sure if I had a childhood." She looked on the path ahead and lowered her head a little. " My first memories are from when I was around fifteen, it almost feels like I was just placed on this world." And that was the truth, her first memories were waking up in a forest, all alone.

"Is that even possible?" Serana asked surprised.

"I'm not sure, only the Gods knows." Khara offered the vampire a little smile.

"Doesn't it bother you? Not knowing your parents or your family?"

"No, not really." How could she? How can you miss someone when you don't even know they exist?

"Why?" Serana wanted to know the reason behind this, how could it not bother her?

"Because those closest to you tend to be the ones who hurt you the most." Serana felt those words in her chest, she understood why Khara would say that. Serana had felt that herself with her own family.

"Sounds like your talking from experience." She said in a low, gentle voice.

"I am." Khara said with a low voice. "You don't save the world without making a few enemies."

Serana was about to ask Khara what exactly she was talking about, she had a pretty good idea, but wanted the wolf to share it with her. She opened her mouth but closed it after a little sound was brought to her attention. She stopped her horse and Khara did the same when she noticed Serana had remained silent when she was expecting the vampire to speak.

They looked into the forest where the sound had come from. They jumped off their horses, Khara grabbed her Blade while Serana charged up a spell. Something was running towards them, but they didn't know what, trees and bushes made it impossible to see what was coming towards them. Khara took a step closer to the unknown.

"Holy shit!" Khara screamed as she jumped when a little red fox emerged from the bushes. She bowed down a little to gather herself, she was so sure something bigger was going to attack them, not a bloody fox. She let out a little laugh when she turned to Serana, who was also a little surprised. "I thought for a sec-." Khara quickly turned towards the trees again to see a huge sabre cat in midair going straight for her.

Khara's eyes widened as she raised her blade to act as a barrier between the cat's fangs and her own throat as it crashed into her, forcing her to fall to the ground. The sabre cat kept trying to get Khara's throat and face, but the blade was making it difficult. She couldn't keep this up for too long so she inhaled before shouting. "FUS RO DAH!" The cat flew back and hit a tree while being showered in flames by Serana.

Khara got back on her feet before running over to the cat that was being blinded by the flames currently burning away its fur and melting its flesh. The cat was moving around in unnatural ways and the sounds it was making was hair-rising to say the least as it was trying to escape the heat. Khara ended its misery with a quick move with her blade.

Serana moved over to her and looked for any wounds on her wolf. "Now we know why the fox was running." Khara said as she was trying to calm her breathing. Serana simply laughed at Khara's words and facial expression. She turned to see if the horse was still around and luckily for them, they had only moved a few feet.

They got back on their horses and continued riding, they crossed a couple of stone bridges before they were in another little mining settlement. They left their horses there as Khara told them that it wasn't much further now, and she was right.

"Here it is, shouldn't be anyone or anything in there." Khara said as she walked down into the cave.

Once inside they followed a narrow, dark path and the sound of water was becoming louder and louder. They came out to an opening and Serana's eyes widened at the sight.

"This place is incredible." Serana said in amazement as they followed the path. "I've never seen anything like it." She was looking all over the area, taking in every single detail.

"It sure is, one of Skyrim's hidden gems. There aren't too many places like this." Khara said as she looked at Serana and smiled at the vampire's face.

They walked over to where the path seemed to stop. "Is this it?" Serana asked as she looked around, the path stopped here, right in front of some huge roots that belonged to the tree above them.

"Not quite." Khara said as she grabbed her dagger from her belt and ran its blade along the root, cutting through the bark, the root curled up and gave them free passage. She continued to do this with all the roots as they walked up the path that was hidden not long ago. When they were on the top of the little hill the roots fell back down, blocking the path once more.

"Why did the roots move out of the way like that?" Serana narrowed her eyes on Khara. "Are you some sort of Champion of Nature as well?" She asked.

"Not as far as I know." Khara answered in amusement and walked over to Serana and showed the vampire her dagger. "This is Nettlebane, the only weapon old enough to cut through the bark of the Eldergleam Tree-" Khara nodded towards the huge tree only a few feet away from them and then continued. " Apparently the tree is older than metal itself so it can't be harmed by any other weapons. Nettlebane is the only thing that can hurt it so it tries to escape it whenever it's close, thus moving its roots out of the way."

Khara led Serana over to where there was a tangle of smaller roots and brought the dagger close to it. They moved out of the way and revealing a chest, Khara opened it and grabbed something wrapped in dark leather before placing it on her back.

"Alright, we have what we came for, let's get out of here."

"That's a clever hiding spot." Serana said as they walked back down the path, the roots moving out of their way.

"That's what I thought too, looks like it did its job just fine." Khara responded as they made their way back to their horses.

The road up to Ivarstead was a quiet one, they met a few bandits and a bear, but it didn't prove too much of a challenge for the pair. While climbing the steep path that would take them back to the Rift, they talked about the book that Serana had been reading for a few days now, the one about The Wolf Queen. Khara explained who Potema Septim was and what she did. They got on the topic on how Khara became Thane of Solitude and how she had gotten her house after dealing with the ghost of Potema herself.

They talked about huge events that had taken place in the few years, before talking more about current events, like the civil war and the return of the dragons. Khara told Serana about the different hold in Skyrim and their Jarls, who they were, what side they were on and so on.

As they were about to be able to see Ivarstead a dragon flew over them, high in the sky. Serana got a little worried.

"Don't worry, it won't attack." Khara said as she sent Serana a smile.

"And how do you know that?" Serana asked as she kept her eyes on the flying form above them that was on its way south.

"After Alduin's defeat some dragons swore to change their way of life, they won't attack villages or harm them in any way." Khara explained as she could now see the few buildings that populated Ivarstead.

"How do you know they won't attack?" Serana said as she turned her gaze to Khara.

"Dragons might be brutal and powerful creatures, but they are also honorable and true to their words." Khara said as she looked at the town before them. " If a dragon promises something, you can trust them to keep it."

"Does the same go for you?" Serana asked.

"It does." Khara said as she smiled at her.

Serana looked forward with a smile playing on her lips. "Good to know."

They tied their horses next to Rune and Sapphire's ones and walked into the tavern where they were approached by Wilhelm.

"I didn't expect to see you two so soon." He said with a huge smile before looking at Khara. "I got your letter, your friends are down in the basement, last door on the right." He said as he pointed to the stairs.

"Thank you, Wilhelm." Khara then took a few gems out of one of her pouches and handed them to the man. "Here, these should cover for the expenses."

Wilhelm's eyes went wide as he looked at the gems. "Thank you! With this I can upgrade some of the bedrooms, maybe even expand." He looked at Khara and Serana. " I don't care whose side you are on in this stupid war, you and your friends are always welcomed here." He said as he went over to some of the inn's other patrons .

"I think that man is about to ask for your hand in marriage, Khara." Serana whispered amused.

"Too bad I got eyes on someone else then." Khara whispered back as they walked over to the stairs Wilhelm had pointed to.

"Oh? And who might that be?" Serana asked as she pretended not to know the answer while they walked down the stairs end entered a hallway.

Khara looked around, making sure there was no one else around, which there wasn't before turning to Serana. " I think you know." She asked with a smirk and narrowed eyes.

Serana placed a hand on her chin and looked like she was in deep thoughts. Khara just chuckled before leaning close to Serana's ear. "I only have eyes for you." She said before she dragged her lips over the vampire's cheek, she then leaned back and took a step away from the vampire. Serana looked at Khara with playful eyes while Khara kept walking backwards with a smirk still on her face before turning around.

Serana ran up to her and threw an arm over her shoulder, pulling the wolf closer before she pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. Khara closed an eye as she smiled. "Good to know." Was all Serana said as she lowered her arm and opened the door for her wolf.

When they entered the room, Rune and Sapphire drew their weapons and lowered them once they saw who is was.

"Knock next time, will ya'?" Rune said with a relieved expression on his face as he sat down on a chair close to the door. "Shit like this ain't good for the heart you know."

"Good to see you're on alert, guys." Khara chuckled at her two Guild members. "You two can leave if you wish, you've done your part."

"Aren't you two tired?" Sapphire asked. "Me and Rune can stay the night, watch over Dexion while you to get some rest."

"Hm, tempting." Khara mumbled.

"Get some rest, boss. We'll keep the priest safe, you'll need the energy if you're to climb the steps to High Hrothgar." Rune said from his seat.

"Alright, cheers guys." Khara said with a smile.

"No problem, I'll get you two a room while you talk to Dexion, old man has been waiting for you." Sapphire said as she walked over to the door and disappeared into the hallway.

Khara then turned to the old man in the room who was patiently waiting for his turn to talk. When Khara got eye contact with the man he flew up from his seat and walked towards them.

"I'm so glad to see you two again, your associates informed me that you are Dragonborn, this is all so exciting." He said extremely fast.

"Calm down, Dexion." Khara said with a chuckle.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I'm just excited is all." He said as he looked toward the door as Sapphire entered the room.

"That's alright, how much time do you need in order to prepare for the reading?"

"Well, there are a few preparations and a few rituals that needs to be done. You see without the proper preparations horrible things can happen, I simply want to minimize the risk." He looked down and thought about it." How long? Hmm, I'd say two weeks should do it, I will need to send some letter to some other Moth priests to get information on some areas, but I think I'll be good to read after that."

"Okay, good. Hopefully the Graybeards will let you stay at their monastery, from there you can use their ravens to send your letters."

"Very good." Dexion said as he sat back down.

"Alright then, we'll meet in the main room tomorrow morning." Khara said as she was handed a key from Sapphire. "Thanks." She patted Sapphire on the shoulder and left the room with Serana.

They walked over to a room a few doors down the hallway. Khara used the key and opened the door and closed it after Serana entered and locked it. When she turned around she saw that Serana was looking at her with a smirk, Khara raised an eyebrow and looked at the bed and her eyes widened, _shit_. It was of course a single bed.

Khara shifted where she stood and kept her eyes on the bed. "We could, erm…I mean.." Khara said while she gestured with her hands, struggling to find the right words.

Serana just snorted at her wolf while removing her cloak. "Get your armor off, Khara." Serana said amused as she sat down on a chair. Khara did remove her armor and placed it on the other chair before sitting down on the bed, for some reason she was extremely warm. She saw that Serana had leaned back in the chair and had closed her eyes, she also saw that the vampire had her arms around herself, _maybe she is cold_?

Khara removed her shirt and trousers as she laid down under the blanket. "Come here, Serana. I can see that you're cold." Serana opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow, if it wasn't for Khara's ability to see in the dark she wouldn't have noticed it. The woman got up and walked over to the bed and sat down. "Take of your clothes." The wolf said as she poked Serana in the back with a finger.

"What?" Serana laughed amused.

"No funny business I promise, it will just make you warmer faster is all." Khara said, it was hard to speak right now, but luckily, she had still managed to pronounce all the words correctly.

Serana sat still for a moment before she undressed to her undergarments. Khara turned her head to look at the ceiling out of respect and the fear of getting caught staring.

Khara felt Serana move and Khara raised the blanket for her, the vampire turned and laid down on her stomach, and due to the small bed, she laid halfway over Khara. Serana placed her head in the crook of Khara's neck as she raised a hand to rest on the wolf's shoulder.

The feeling of having Serana's skin on her own felt amazing, it cooled her down and made that same electric feeling travel all over her. It increased her heartrate and made Khara gulp as the feeling only grew stronger.

"Relax, Khara. No funny business." Serana whispered while placing a kiss on the wolf's neck. This was something Serana could get used to, her wolf was so very warm and it felt incredible to lay against with her with so little covering their skin.

Khara was wide awake at this point, who wouldn't be? The woman she was attracted to was lying basically on top of her, with so little clothes on. She raised a hand and ran it up Serana's back, how skin could feel so much like silk was beyond Khara, but she _really_ didn't complain. Serana was a mystery to the wolf, she made Khara shy, uncertain of her actions and embarrassed at times, but it felt amazing. She was shy because Serana was so incredibly beautiful, she was uncertain because she wanted to do everything right around the woman and she was embarrassed of her actions at times because Serana takes notice of every single thing she does and says, even the small things. Happy, that's the correct word, she made Khara happy.

She was happy, content and pleased. She smiled to herself as she brought her other hand to Serana's back and hugged her, trying to channel all of the feeling Serana made her feel into the action and hugged her even tighter when she felt the vampire smile into her neck.

Serana raised her head and placed her hands on both sides of Khara's head as she hovered over her wolf. Khara was looking at her in a way she had only done one time before, she smiled at Serana and the vampire couldn't help but smile back. "What?" Serana laughed out in a low voice.

Khara just shook her head before using a hand to raise herself a little so that she could capture Serana's lips with her own. When she lowered herself again, the vampire followed and threw her leg over Khara, before lying flat against the wolf. Serana took Khara's lower lip between her teeth and gently nibbled on it, making the wolf release a whimper, Serana only smiled into the kiss. She brought one hand down to Khara's side and ran her fingers down, getting awfully close to Khara's waistband and it made the wolf groan.

"Remember..." Khara mumbled against cool lips.

"No funny business, got it." Serana said with a smirk as her hand traveled up the wolf's body and stopped at a shoulder while Serana dragged her lips over to a cheek, then the neck where she placed one last kiss before placing her head down on her wolf's chest and closing her eyes.

Khara stared at the ceiling for a little while as her thoughts raced through her mind. There was so many things she wanted to do, so many things she wanted to try, but she wanted to do them when there was no rush. She wanted it to happen in a place where they would be alone, undisturbed, a place where no one could burst in to their little bubble. And until that day presented itself, she would just have to wait. For there was no doubt, the woman lying on her chest hugging her was someone she felt incredible feelings for and for each passing moment spent with the woman only made those feelings grow stronger. It was almost like Serana was feeding her flame, that same flame that fuels Khara to keep moving forward. Her thoughts slowed down and she finally found herself at rest, eyes closed, ready for sleep to claim her.

The next morning it was Serana's turn to wake first. This morning was different compared to the others she had spent with Khara, this morning she felt warm, very warm. It had been so many years since she had woken up warm, it was strange, funny almost. The last time she felt like this is when she was still a mortal and that was a _very_ long time ago. She had to release a little laugh at this strange, but welcomed sensation.

"What are you laughing about." A very hoarse, sleepy Khara mumbled to her.

"I feel warm, it's been so long, I almost forgot how it felt like." Serana said in a low voice as she nuzzled her face against warm skin.

"Good, I don't feel like I'm on fire, which I normally do when I wake up." Khara said as she ran a hand up the vampires back. "Looks like this worked out pretty good for the both of us, huh?"

"I'd say so." Serana said as she opened her eyes. "We should do it again sometime, I certainly wouldn't mind."

Khara let out a little laugh. "It's a date."

They laid there for five minutes, then twenty and suddenly it had been an hour. "Time to get back out to reality." Serana said.

Serana lifted her head off Khara and sat up after giving her wolf's cheek a little kiss. She could feel her wolf's eyes on her as she rose and walked over to her clothes. After she had gotten on her trousers she turned around and faced Khara. "Like what you see?" Serana was expecting Khara to shy away or pretend that she wasn't looking, she surprised Serana when she only smirked as her eyes roamed the exposed skin. _Someone's getting more confident_.

"Very much." Is all Khara could say as she sat up in the bed. _I'm getting more confident_.

Serana only snorted as she threw Khara's shirt to the wolf, successfully hitting her in the face with it. Khara only laughed as she got it on. After a little while they managed to leave their room and walk up the stairs where they joined their friends at a table. They talked while they ate their breakfast and after a little while, Rune and Sapphire left the three for their climb. Wilhelm had told them that he would look after their horses while they were gone.

On their walk up the mountain Dexion showered them both in questions about vampirism, dragons, werewolves and all kinds of things, man sure was curious.

"I have to ask, how does a vampire and a werewolf manage to work together? It's an odd pairing." Dexion asked after a little while of silence while walking in front of the two, not really paying them much attention because he was too busy to look at the view.

Khara looked over to Serana and was met with orange eyes, it made her smile. "I guess we just clicked, we have a lot in common." Khara said as she removed one of her gauntlets and held her hand out for Serana to take. Serana smiled and grabbed the offered hand.

"Interesting. Is it much further now?" Dexion asked again.

"No, just around this and we'll be there." Khara said and after about ten more minutes of walking they could see the monastery. They walked up the stairs and opened the heavy doors before they were greeted by a welcoming warmth.

The three of them walk in and when they stand in the middle of the room Khara gestures for them to stop. In front of them, up some steps there was an old man in grey robes. Khara took a step forwards and bowed down for the man. "Master Arngeir, it's good to see you again."

Arngeir bowed down as well. "And you, Dragonborn." He walked down the stairs and walked over to them. "Now then, what brings you to us?" He said as he bowed his head to Dexion and Serana who did the same back.

"I was wondering if my friend here-" She gestured for Dexion to come closer. "-Could stay at the monastery for a little while? There are people looking for him and I couldn't think of a better hiding spot."

"Of course, this monastery is as much your home as it is mine, Dragonborn. And your friends are welcomed to stay here, you know this." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." Khara said as she walked back to Dexion. "Will you be alright staying here?"

"Yes, of course." He said as he looked around the room. "This place is fascinating , I'll like to stay here and learn more about it."

"Alright then, if you have any questions ask Master Arngeir. Send me a raven when you're done preparing and we'll give you the Scrolls."

"Very well, I will do that." Dexion said.

Khara turned back to Master Arngeir. "I just need to deliver this to the Grand Master, then we'll leave." She said while she gestured to the item on her back.

"Of course, stay true to the Way of the Voice, Dragonborn." Arngeir said as he bowed to Khara before he guided Dexion into another room.

Khara turned to look at Serana. "Ready to meet that old friend of mine? He's just on the top of the mountain."

"Yes, you got me curious." Serana said as she walked up to Khara and together they walked through another set of doors before they found themselves outside once more. It was windy, snow was falling hard and it was chilly. They walked up the slippery path and after a little while, they managed to come up to the peak of the mountain.

The view was incredible, the wind was almost completely gone on the top and there was no snow falling from the skies.

Serana saw another one of those dragon walls before them, just like the one she had seen back in Dimhollow. She looked around, but there was no building or shelter of any kind there. _Who can possibly live up here_? She saw that Khara took a step forward and looked up in the skies, almost like she was looking for something.

"Khara? Where is this friend of yours?" Serana asked as she walked up to her wolf.

Khara looked some more before responding. "His on his way down right now." Khara said as she pointed to the skies. Serana followed the pointed finger and could see a huge form flying towards them. _It's a dragon_?

Khara turned her head to look at Serana. "Don't worry, he is a friend, he won't hurt us." She said in a gentle voice that made all of Serana's worries currently fade to the back of her mind. Serana nodded and looked back at the dragon as it landed.

This dragon had an interesting look to it. You could see that it had been around for a very long time, some horns and spikes were broken and cracked and its wings looked like it had been used, to say the least.

"Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin." The dragon said in its deep rumbling voice as he bowed his head a little.

"Ahnok, Paarthurnax." Khara said as she bowed her head at the old dragon.

"Fos drun hi wah dii strunmah?" He said as he took a step closer to the pair and looked at Serana, then back at Khara.

"Zu'u los het wah veydar vorey dey." Khara then looked back at Serana before turning back to the dragon. "May we speak in this tongue?"

"Of course, a thousand pardons, I forget my manners sometimes." He said as he bowed to Serana who was still a little surprised that a _dragon_ was talking to her, she only managed to give a little nod back in response. "So, you have come here to store another Zuwuth Dey, an Elder Scroll. How you keep getting them in your hands is beyond me, young one."

"That makes two of us." Khara chuckled as she walked over to the dragon wall.

Paarthurnax moved out of the way and turned his attention to Serana, he simply looked at her, making the vampire a little uncomfortable. "I am sorry for my actions, but it has been long since I last was visited by a child of the night. I sense that you have been on Vus, Nirn for a long time." He said.

"I do have some years behind me, yes. I sense that you do too." Serana responded.

"Geh, I have been here almost since the beginning of time." He answered amused by the vampire's response. Serana could see that Khara was removing some snow from a chest at the dragon wall before opening it and placing the Scroll in it.

Khara then walked back to the two and looked at Serana before turning her gaze to the dragon. "Old one, where is Odahviing?"

"He should be in the skies above, shout his name and he will come down."

Khara nodded and looked to the skies before taking in a deep breath. "OD AH VIING!" As she shouted Paarthurnax flew up in the air and landed at the dragon wall.

A roar could be heard above them and only a moment later a red form came flying down towards them. "You dare call my name!" The dragon roared as he walked towards Khara. Serana took a step back at the force in his voice.

"That's right you overgrown lizard!" Khara yelled back and she walked toward him before shouting again. "YOL!" Fire came from the woman's mouth and flew towards the dragon, it covered itself with a wing before moving.

Khara laughed before running towards the red dragon and jumping on its face. _That's a strange way to greet a friend_. Serana thought as she now could see that it was a friendly encounter.

Odahviing lowered his head to the ground as he spoke. "It has been long since we last flew together, sister. We will now, yes?"

Khara jumped of his head and kneeled down in front of him as she placed a hand on his snout. "Geh, if you don't mind having an extra passenger." She said as she nodded to Serana.

Odahviing turned his head to look at the woman before widening his eyes a little. "I can smell her scent on you, you have found a mate?" He said in what was supposed to be a low voice, but a dragon's voice isn't capable of whispering.

Khara widened her eyes as she looked at the red dragon."N-No! We're friends." He nudged her with his snout. "Really good friends." Khara mumbled, much to the dragon's pleasure and to Serana's because she could hear the whole conversation from where she stood.

He raised his head and walked over to Serana. "What is your name? _Friend_ of Khara?" He asked as Khara walked next to him, a little blush could be seen on her face.

"I'm Serana, good to meet you."

"Likewise." He turned his head to Khara. "So, we will fly now, yes?" He asked with eagerness in his voice.

"In a moment, I need to speak to Serana." Khara said and Odahviing nodded before walking over to the older dragon.

Khara waited a little before walking closer to Serana. "Since Dexion will need some time before reading the Scrolls, I'm not really sure what to do. This whole _quest_ is at a pause."

"It would seem so. Perhaps there is something else we can do in the meanwhile? You said that my father had vampires attack cities and villages, maybe it would be wise to _remove_ some of them? It would weaken my father and his clan." Serana said as she looked at Khara.

Khara smiled at her. "Good idea, I know a person who might be able to point us in the right direction. Feel like flying to Solitude?"

Serana's eyes widened as she smiled. "Yes."

Khara turned to Odahviing and met his eager eyes right away. He walked over to them and spoke. "Where to?" He lowered his head for the two females.

"Solitude, brother. And don't land _inside_ the city this time, next to the stables will do." Khara said as she jumped on his neck and helped Serana. The vampire sat behind her and brought her hands around her wolf's waist.

"As you wish." He said and he flapped his wings as they got further and further away from the mountain. Khara placed one hand on a spike and the other over Serana's hands as they made their way over to Solitude at an incredible speed.

To see the world as a dragon does is something that makes even the most honorable men and women jealous. It's breathtaking, it's so incredible that you get a new understanding of the word _freedom_. Serana's mind was blown at this point, in one day and in one day alone, she had spoken to two dragons and she was now flying, _flying_ and the day wasn't even over yet. She hugged Khara tighter as her eyes roamed the land below, she could see Whiterun, Riverwood, Morthal, she could see so much and it was amazing.

They arrived at the stables of Solitude way too soon in Serana's opinion. Odahviing lowered himself so that they could get off him. He looked over at the nervous guards and let out a deep chuckle. "I think I should leave, I make your fellow joor nervous, Khara." He said as he raised his head.

"Geh, I think that would be best." She said as she too looked around and saw how nervous the people were becoming.

He raised his wings as he looked at Serana. "I look forward for our next meeting." Serana smiled and nodded to the dragon as his wings carried him higher into the air.

Khara turned to the town before looking at Serana who was just standing still looking at nothing in particular with a faint smile on her lips. "Everything alright, Serana?" She asked.

Serana looked at her and her smile grew some more before opening her mouth. "Yeah, it just…"Serana shook her head as she let out a laugh, Khara turned to her. Serana captured her eyes once more before continuing. "I just spoke with a dragon and then _flew_ on one."

She was beaming at Khara at this point and the wolf couldn't help but smile at her. "Come on now, you. Let's get inside the city." She said. The vampire nodded and walked up to her before they walked through the gates of Solitude. Once inside they walked the path that would take them to the Blue Palace, people greeted them as they made their way through the city.

After a little while they walked by Proudspire Manor, Khara's home. She nudged Serana with her elbow to get her attention, Serana turned her head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Khara nodded towards the building. "That's my house." She said, and Serana let out a low whistle.

"That looks expensive." The vampire said as her eyes roamed the building.

"Aye, but luckily for me it was a gift or a reward rather."

"So, this is what you got after defeating Potema, how much would you have needed to pay?"

"With all the decorations and all, I'd say around forty-thousand."

Serana turned her head back at Khara with a shocked expression on her face. "You say that like it's nothing."

"It really isn't, I have a lot of gold and items that are worth a lot."

"What sort of items?" Serana asked.

"All kinds of things really. Gems, books, weapons, armor, artifacts, jewelry, you name it. You'd be surprised of all the things people leave behind in caves and such." Khara said as she looked at the approaching building ahead. "There's even this weird thing, whenever I open a chest or anything really, I _always_ find gems." Khara said with a frown, she never did find out why that is.

Serana laughed. "What? You always find gems?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's true. Next time we see a chest I'll show you." Khara said as she reached to open the door to the Palace for Serana.

"Alright, I'm looking forward to it." Serana said as she walked past and threw Khara a wink while doing so.

They walked up some stairs and Khara led them over to the side due to the court already being in a conversation, it would be rude to interrupt. While the court was discussing the civil war, Khara looked at the woman she was looking for, Sybille Stentor.

She didn't know a lot about the woman, she seemed wise, had a good understanding of magic and was highly respected within the court, maybe even a little feared by the others. And with good reason, after Khara had dealt with Potema she had a conversation with Sybille and couldn't help but notice her eyes, then her teeth. After some clever questioning by Khara, she learned that the woman had a few years behind her so, she put the pieces together, odd eyes, sharp teeth and old while still looking young, that only leaves one answer, Sybille Stentor is a…

"Vampire." Serana whispered low enough so that only Khara could hear her. "That woman in the blue robes is a vampire."

"Aye, that's Sybille the Court Wizard. She might seem harsh at first, but she's alright. Keep it to yourself though, not many knows." Khara whispered back while looking at the Court Mage. "She is actually the person we're looking for."

Stentor must have felt the extra pair of eyes on her because she turned her eyes towards the two women in the back of the room. She locked eyes with Khara before turning her attention back to the Jarl.

"At first, I thought that she was the one pulling the strings and not the Jarl, but that woman has done things that have saved a lot of lives throughout the years. Her methods might be questionable, but her loyalty is not." Khara said as she looked at the other court members.

"Are you sure? She is like me after all, we don't exactly have a good reputation." Serana said with a hint of sarcasm.

Khara turned her head and looked into Serana's eyes. "A vampire might be what you are, but it's not who you are, Serana." She pointed to the vampire's chest. "Luckily, you get to choose that. And just like you, Sybille is a good person." Serana's heart jumped a little at that, she couldn't help but smile at those words.

"Always at it…" She mumbled amused. _That woman and her words_.

"Always." Khara whispered back with a grin.

When they returned their attention to the court they could see that the discussion was over and that Sybille was now available. Sybille was already looking at them and Khara gestured her to come over to them and she did.

"Have you gotten the letter from the Companions about the vampire attacks?" Khara asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I have." Sybille said as she looked over her shoulder towards the Jarl.

"Good, me and my friend here are working on solving it, but some preparations needs to be done so, until then we're off hunting the ones attacking the cities and villages." Khara explained to the woman. "That's where you come into the picture, know the location of any vampire camps or such?"

The woman crossed her hands and smiled. "I do actually, north-west of Dragon Bridge there is a cave, Pinemoon Cave. There are a little group of vampires there, they are the ones responsible for attacking the village. Do you know where it is?"

"Aye, I do. We'll get going then, thanks Sybille." Khara said as she offered a smile to the woman.

"A pleasure, happy hunting to the both of you." She said with a smirk as she walked back to the rest of the court while Serana and Khara walked out of the Palace, next destination Pinemoon Cave.

 **Dovahzul Translations**

 **Paarthurnax** : Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin. – **Greetings, Dragonborn.**

 **Khara** : Ahnok, Paarthurnax. – **Hello, Paarthurnax.**

 **Paarthurnax** : Fos drun hi wah dii strunmah? - **What bring you to my mountain?**

 **Khara:** Zu'u los het wah veydar vorey dey? - **I am here to store another scroll.**

 **Other words** : Zuwuth Dey – **Elder Scroll**

Vus - **Nirn**

Geh - **Yes**


	7. Chapter 7

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 7_

 _A song of a soldier_

 _You know that feeling you get when you're about to do something amazing, something incredible, something that will be remembered till the end of time. Do you know that feeling? Good. Keep that feeling in mind, try to remember it, remember how it felt to be on the verge of something genius. Now let's say that you did it, you saved the world, you did it, you did the impossible. And now it's over, it's done, you've done your part, fulfilled your destiny. That feeling? It was the best damn feeling you've ever felt. And guess what. You will never feel it again, nothing will ever compare, nothing will ever be even close to it._

 _There is nothing you can do, it was written in stone long before you were born, it's out of your reach, you can't change it. So why would you keep moving? Why would you keep pushing through the daily struggles if you knew it would never feel as good? Why would you keep fighting? Would you do it for the people? Fuck the people. Would you do it because of duty? Fuck duty, you've already done so much. No one can offer you anything close to that glorious feeling and that fire inside you? It will never burn as bright as it did._

 _That is at least how I used to feel, how I used to think. That was the person I used to be, but then I met her._

Khara was walking behind Serana as her eyes roamed the woman's form, she couldn't see her face, but that was alright because she remembers it, it's burned into her mind. She'll never forget it. _Never._

There was a hint of that feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't quite reach it, couldn't see it, she just knew it was there, waiting. She had felt its presence for two days now and was wondering, why now? What's going to happen? What could possibly happen that would cause that feeling to return to her? Only time would tell.

Serana felt the wolf's eyes on her and slowed down so that she could walk next to Khara. "I can almost hear you thinking." Serana said as she turned her head. "Anything interesting going on in there?" She gestured to the wolf's head.

Khara looked at her and shook her head. "Just thinking about you." Khara answered with a grin.

Serana raised an eyebrow and nudged Khara with an elbow. "What about me."

Khara looked into her eyes, those orange-glowing eyes that she has grown to like so much. "Thinking about your eyes."

"And how they look like they're on fire?" Serana asked, she knew what her eyes looked like.

"More like a sunset, if you ask me." Khara answered.

Serana looked at her, a small smile playing at her lips. "Sweet talker." She mumbled amused.

"Hey, you asked, I simply shared." Khara raised her hand as she chuckled.

"I know, thank you." Serana said in a sincere voice.

"For what, telling you my thoughts?" Khara turned to look at her, a little confused.

The vampire smiled at her. "For sharing." Serana said as she gave Khara a look she couldn't quite describe, _adoring perhaps_? Serana turned her head and saw the cave entrance. Khara followed her gaze a moment later and also looked at the entrance. They shared a look before walking towards it before entering it.

As they walked into the cave they could see lanterns on the cave floor. They drew their daggers and knelt down when they saw that an opening in the cave was coming up. There were two wolves in the room that was lying down, looking away from them.

They sneaked up on the beasts and when they got close enough, they jumped them at the same time. Khara leapt through the air and landed on the wolf, placing her dagger in its head. As she was bent over the beast she raised her eyes and looked over at the other wolf, there Serana was in the same position as Khara.

"Great minds think alike." Serana whispered as she threw Khara a wink and a smile. They stepped over the wolves and Khara threw a detect dead spell, there was only three sources that she could see, one of them being Serana.

Khara looked at Serana and raised her hand as she showed two fingers. Serana nodded and followed Khara as she led them further into the cave. Once again there was an opening in the cave, there was a large room with benches and beds, barrels and crates. One of the vampires was at the benches and the other over by the corner.

Serana jumped down and made her way over to the one by the beds as Khara did the same and approached the other one by the corner, this was perfect. Both vampires were busy doing something _and_ had their backs to the other, making it easy to kill them both with daggers alone. Serana made quick work with her victim while Khara stalked hers before grabbing his throat and slicing it open with Nettlebane. A gurgling sound could be heard as the vampire held his throat and fell to the cave floor, a little puddle of blood appearing fast around his lifeless body.

Khara raised her eyes and saw what the vampire was so busy with, there was a cage, or more importantly a man inside the cage. He was sitting on a chair with his head lowered. Khara cleared her throat as she looked at the man. He raised his head and saw that the vampire that had captured him laid dead on the ground before him. His eyes saw two ebony boots before traveling further up. He rose from his seat and approached the stranger.

"Now isn't this an interesting turn of events. I told him only a moment ago that he would be dead by the end of the day." The man said with his deep voice. "Are you going to release me?"

"That depends, who are you?" Khara said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm Falion, from Morthal." He said as he looked down and gestured to the corpse. "I research vampires, that's how I ended up here and in this situation." Falion looked at the corpse at Khara's feet before speaking again. "I made a deal with them, but you can see how that worked out."

Khara nodded as she looked down at the corpse herself. "Who is the Jarl in Morthal, Falion?"

"Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone." The man said.

Khara shrugged her shoulder's and bent down to search the corpse for a key. "That's good enough for me, I'll get you out of there in no time." The man only nodded as his eyes locked with orange ones.

"Are you two together?" He asked a little surprised.

Both Serana and Khara smiled at the double meaning behind those words. "Aye, we are." Khara said as she found the key and unlocked the cage.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. Killing five vampires is no easy task." Khara's head whipped up to look at them man.

"We only killed these two." She turned to Serana before looking back at the entrance to the room. She casted another detect dead spell and sure enough, three forms were making their way towards them. "Shit, they must have been outside while we entered, they're on their way to us." Khara said in a hushed voice.

Serana quickly used her conjuration skill and raised the two dead vampires. The bodies rose from the ground and stood with their back yet again to the entrance of the room. Serana stepped into the shadows, Falion reentered the cage and Khara casted invisibility over herself as she walked over to a stone wall of the room. The three vampires entered the room and approached their risen friends.

One of them walked over to the cage as the two others sat down at a bench while they talked. The one who was walking to the cage looked down at his friend's feet and saw a huge puddle of blood.

"Is everything well, Rowen?" He asked as he slowly approached the man. He looked over at Falion before returning his gaze to his, unknown to him, very dead friend. "Rowen?" He said once more with a cautious voice as he raised a hand to his friend's shoulder and turned him around. The vampire's eyes widened at the sight, Rowen's eyes were white, his facial expression blank and his throat sliced open, blood rolling down his robes.

Before anything else could be done, the vampire got stabbed by his former friend. The vampire gasped for air as he bowed down while he held a hand around the dagger that was making its way further into his stomach. The two vampires at the bench looked over towards the cage and jumped up from their seats.

Serana commanded the other vampire she had risen to attack them and so it did. Together they casted fire spells at the two. The vampires turned back to Serana and casted wards while Falion made his way out of his cage and helped the risen vampire Rowen, to finish his opponent.

While Serana was keeping the other two vampires busy, Khara sneaked around them and grabbed her Blade, she then ran towards the two and drove it through a chest. The vampire who now had a blade through him fell to his knees, it felt like the blade was taking his energy, his lifeforce. Khara twisted the Blade before grabbing her dagger to block an attack by the vampire standing right next to her, she used a leg to kick her back while trying to pull out her Blade.

Serana charged a new more powerful spell and casted what looked like a rope of fire at the vampire who was now busy with Khara. It hit the vampire and twisted itself around it, burning brighter as it squeezed harder and harder until the vampire fell to the ground.

Khara reclaimed her Blade and looked around the room, first at Serana then Falion. _Everyone is good, good_. Khara straighten up and watched as Falion walked over to them with a dagger and a bloodied rag in his hands.

"I'd say we handled that rather well." He said with a little smile as he threw away the rag and placed the dagger on his belt. He jumped a little when Serana's risen allies fell to the ground, which to the vampire only shrugged her shoulders.

"We did." Khara said as she calmed her heartbeat and looked around the room. "It's dark outside, would you like us to escort you back to Morthal?" She asked.

He looked at her and smiled a genuine smile. "I would like that, thank you." Khara returned the smile and gestured for him to follow her. She and Serana walked next to each other while they made their way over to the exit.

Khara's nose caught a scent and her eyes were drawn to Serana's upper arm. She grabbed her wrist while she looked over at Falion. "Would you mind giving us a moment?" She asked.

Falion smiled. "I'll wait for you two outside." He said as he walked past them.

Serana looked at Khara. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Khara looked at her arm. "You're hurt." Serana looked to where the wolf's eyes were on her body.

"It's nothing, doesn't even hurt." She said, but the wolf remained unconvinced. Khara raised her hand to the cut, making sure not to touch it, only the area around and gave it a little squeeze. Serana let out a little hiss.

"Doesn't even hurt, huh?" Khara said as she let her hand fall from Serana's arm before removing a gauntlet.

Serana looked at her hand. "You don't need to do that, it'll heal fast."

"And with a little blood it'll heal faster, I'm not going to let you be in pain when there is something I can do about it." Khara said as she raised her hand to Serana. "I've already made up my mind, we're not leaving until you have a drink."

Serana was about to speak, but decided against it. She took Khara's hand and brought it up to her mouth and turned her head a little as she bit into the warm skin, her eyes locked with Khara's. Khara's eyes managed to escape Serana's as she looked over towards the entrance of the cave. She was about to say something when she felt Serana's tongue on her wrist, she turned her head fast to look at the vampire.

"Someone's enjoying themselves." Khara said amused.

Serana let her tongue swipe the bitemarks once more before giving Khara her hand back. "Hard not to, you're delicious." Serana said with a smirk before licking her lips.

Khara chuckled as she equipped her gauntlet and turned to where Falion had walked. She turned her gaze back to Serana who was looking at her with that special look again, that look that made that feeling in her stomach twist in the most wonderful way.

"You shouldn't look at me like that." Khara whispered.

"Why not?" Serana said in a low voice as she tilted her head, she knew the effect she had on Khara, she could hear the wolf's heartbeat increase and it pleased her that she could to that with her eyes alone.

"Because it makes me want to do things to you that aren't suited to do in a cave." Khara said and Serana bit her lower lip while smirking and looking into blue non-glowing eyes, she knew what that look meant. Khara lowered her gaze to the vampire's lips. "You shouldn't do that either." Khara mumbled. _Never thought fangs could looks so…So damn good._ Khara thought, she knew just what Serana could make her feel with those fangs and it made her wolf aspect whimper at the memory.

Serana snorted and walked towards the exit. "Come on, Khara. We have a long walk in front of us." Serana said amused. The wolf gathered herself and ran up to Serana and together they walked outside.

It was nighttime by now and it was one of those nights were there was no clouds, you could see the moon, the stars and the light that danced above, it was a sight to behold. Serana spotted Falion and gestured to the man to follow them, which he gladly did.

They walked for a while in silence before Falion looked at them. "If you two don't mind me asking, what are your names?" He said in a polite voice.

The pair shared a look before speaking. "That's Serana-" Khara nodded to the vampire. "-And I'm Khara."

"Khara….Khara…" The man mumbled as he was in deep thought, his eyes lit up and he looked at the woman. "You're the Dragonborn." He said.

"Aye, that's right." She said.

Falion smiled before looking at Serana as they walked. "And you aren't the average vampire, no, there is something about your eyes." Serana looked at him amused.

"You're right, I am a Pure-Blooded vampire." She said.

His eyes widened. "Oh my..." He said in amazement. "I've never met a Pure-Blood before." He looked at the ground before looking back at Serana. "I don't feel like it's in my place to ask, but may I have a sample of your blood when we return to my lab? There is so much I could learn from it."

Serana raised an eyebrow at the man. "That depends, what do you intend to do with it?"

"Nothing bad I can ensure you that, I simply wish to do research on it, I've always found vampirism interesting, how it transforms the body and all. My research is my own, I won't share it with anyone, you have my word."

Serana smiled. "Then I see no harm in it." She said and Falion smiled.

It took them a little over two hours to reach Morthal, while they were walking through Dragon Bridge they joined a group of Imperial soldiers that were to be stationed at Morthal, so the trip was rather uneventful. They chatted a bit with the soldiers and such, but mostly remained quiet. They entered the very open town and followed Falion to his house.

"It isn't much, but it's home." He said as he opened the door for them. They walked pass the man and entered his home, it was interesting to say the least. It all looked like a huge lab. There was shelfs filled with bottles that looked like they had blood in them. Falion gestured to the pair to have a seat. He grabbed a little square glass piece and a needle before walking over to Serana.

"May I?" He said as he held a needle in one hand and the glass piece in the other. Serana nodded and raised her hand. Falion took ahold of it and punctured the skin on her index finger. He squeezed the finger gently and let one single drop of blood fall to the glass piece. He then grabbed another glass piece of same shape and size and laid it on top of the other, making the drop of blood spread out between the glass.

He then walked over to what looked like to be a very small and heavily modified telescope of sorts, he placed the glass with the blood on its platform.

"What sort of device is that?" Khara asked as she walked over to him.

He looked into the eyepiece lens and spoke. "It's a piece of dwarven research equipment, its very old and it magnifies, in this case the blood, so that I can see what the blood does under different circumstances." He explained as he turned some pieces on the device. "Now this is fascinating." He said as he looked at the blood. "Khara could I have a drop of your blood as well? There is something I want to try."

"Sure." Khara got out her dagger and made a little cut on her index finger.

Falion took the glass pieces and removed them from each other while holding one out for Khara. "Just let it fall on this." Khara let a drop of blood fall and Falion once again put the pieces together before putting it back under the dwarven device. "Oh, now I've never..." He said in amazement.

Serana walked up to the two and leaned against the wall. "What's happening?" The vampire asked.

Falion continued to look through the lens as he spoke. "Your blood is trying to spread its cells in Khara's blood, but because of her rather unique blood, it can't quite manifest itself in it. It's almost like the blood is dancing, fascinating…"

"And that means what exactly?" Khara asked a little confused.

Falion removed his attention from the device and looked at the two. "Due to Khara's blood being divine, literally. Her blood acts like a, well, just like a cure potion really. Since vampirism counts as a decease, the divine blood is fighting it, trying to cure it." He explained while moving his hands it all kinds of odd ways. "Khara's blood is killing it as fast as its spreading, making it so that the vampirism is present in her blood, but it never really gets the chance to fully settle down."

"And that means…?" Khara asked again, still not really getting what all the fuss in about.

"It means that if you ever decide to become a vampire you would, hmm. How do I put this in a simple way?" He said as he placed a hand on his chin. "If you were to be turned into a vampire your blood wouldn't change, you would get all the positiveeffects from vampirism, like no ageing, the strength and speed, night vision and so on." Falion explained. "While not getting the negatives. You won't be weakened to fire, the sun won't hurt, you could feed because you get the fangs and all, but you don't need to, normal food will still satisfy your hunger."

"No negatives? What about my eyes or my skin?" Khara asked, this was becoming very interesting.

"I don't think you would change much, except for the fangs of course." He said as he turned his attention back to the blood.

"And you're sure about this?" Serana asked, this was _very_ interesting indeed.

"Oh yes, absolutely. The results don't lie and I've been doing this kind of research for years." He said from where he sat.

"And my…Erm…" Khara struggled, should she share this with a man she pretty much just met.

"My dear, if you were to turn you would still be a werewolf, so don't worry about that."

 _Oh, okey_. Khara thought. "And you're are okey with that, me being a werewolf?"

"Well yes, I have many friends who are vampires and werewolves and they are just as civilized as any man or woman." Falion said as he turned to the pair. "You have my word, I will not tell anyone."

Khara smiled a genuine smile at the man. "Thanks." She said as she looked over as Serana. "I think we should get back out there, still is a little walk back to Solitude." Khara said.

"Yes, thank you both again. And don't be strangers, you're very welcomed here." Falion said as he rose from his seat and shook both their hands.

They made their way out and started the walk back to Solitude. It had been a while since they had eaten now and rested for that matter, a few hours at the Winking Skeever was very tempting. While walking they could see an old ruin and it gave Khara an idea.

"Let's check out that over there." She said as she pointed to the old structure. Serana nodded and followed her wolf.

Just as Khara had hoped there was only a few stones and such, but also an urn. _Perfect_. She turned to Serana with a grin in her face. "Would you mind opening that urn, Serana?" She asked with the sweetest voice.

Serana raised an eyebrow, but did as the wolf asked. She kneeled down and opened it.

"What's inside it?" Khara asked from where she stood, arms behind her back as she leaned on her toes.

Serana looked into the urn and saw that there was only an old silver ring in it. "Just a ring." She said.

"Okey, now close it again." Khara said as she walked over to her. Serana closed it with a skeptical look on her face. Khara kneeled down as well and reopened the urn as she lowered her hand into it. "There was only a ring, yeah?"

"Yes?" _What are you up to_? Serana thought.

Khara raised her hand and opened her palm, showing three flawless gems.

"Wait, what?" Serana looked into the urn and back at the hand before looking up at Khara. "How did you do that? There was only a ring in it." She asked surprised.

"I told you, I always find gems." Khara laughed, Serana's face was hilarious to look at. Serana stood up while Khara remained on one knee. _Oh, idea_! Khara cleared her throat and looked at Serana. The woman looked down at her while she raised the hand with a beautiful sapphire in it. "For you, my darling." Khara said in a very snobbish voice.

Serana rolled her eyes in amusement as she accepted the gem. She grabbed Khara's hand and helped her up so they could continue their walk back to Solitude. "So, you magickly make gems appear out of thin air." Serana stated as she looked at Khara.

Khara simply looked at her. "Ta-da?" Khara said, because she really didn't know why she could find gems so easily. Serana let out a little laugh as she looked up to the skies, it was still dark so she could still see the lights dancing above them. _Beautiful_.

It was first now she noticed the atmosphere they were in. A old ruin, moss covering most of the stone structure, a few flowers here and there and fireflies, the only sounds were that of the calming wind. Her eyes traveled back to her wolf who was standing with a hand stretched out and with a firefly in her hand. She could see the reflection of the lights above in her wolf's eyes, it was beautiful. Serana whished that she could capture this beautiful moment, draw it, paint it, heck even carve it into one of the stone pillars next to her. It was like a dream, unreal and unbelievable and yet, here she was witnessing it.

Ever since finding Khara back in Whiterun, there had been this feeling in her chest, like she's floating. She had never smiled as much, laughed as much, _felt_ as much as she does when she is with the wolf. She keeps trying to think back to when she last felt this, but she can't, there are no memories to be found, she has never felt this before. She knew she was attracted to Khara, there was no denying it, but there was something else, something unfamiliar. She had loved people before, but had never been _in_ love. _Is that what this is? Love?_ Was it even possible to have such strong feeling for another after so little time? She looked at Khara and felt that feeling twist in her stomach. _Perhaps_.

Khara let the firefly leave her hand and join its fellow flies as she turned her head to Serana. "You good to go?" She asked in that smooth voice of hers.

Serana smiled at the sound. "Yes."

Khara returned the smile and walked out of the ruin and got back on the road that would take them to Solitude.

"We should probably get some food in you." Serana said as they walked through the gates of Solitude.

"Gods, _yes_." Khara said with a guttural voice that made Serana shiver. _I definitely wouldn't mind hearing that again._ The vampire thought.

"Let's go to the tavern then." Serana said as she guided Khara towards the Winking Skeever with a hand.

There were a few men standing outside the inn that were talking with each other, they saw the two woman and one of them opened the door for them. Serana sent the man a smile of gratitude due to the kind gesture. They walked through the door and was hit with the smell of mead and the warmth of the inn's fire.

"You shouldn't have smiled at him, he's going to come looking for you later." Khara said amused.

"It was just a little smile." Serana explained as they walked over to the bar. "He opened the door and I simply thanked him." It was just a smile, nothing else.

"Yeah? Well I bet you he's going to come over later and try to get you to _thank_ _him_ in other ways." Khara chuckled.

Serana huffed, all in good nature. "I'd like to see him try." She said as Khara ordered food and drinks for them.

She gave the man the gold before he spoke. "I'll send you your food when it's done, please take a seat." The barkeeper said with a charming smile as he cleaned a mug with a rag.

They walked over to one of the corners that the room had to offer, there was a table and a bench there that was unoccupied, and sat down next to each other and at the same time leaned back against the wall. Khara threw her legs on a chair on the other side of the table and let out a sigh.

A bard made his way to the middle of the room and spoke. "This is a song I learned from when I was in the army back in Cyrodiil, feel free to join in if you know it!" He said in a light, sweet voice. He then started playing on his lute before taking in a breath.

" _He rode through the streets of the city  
Down from his hill on high.  
O'er the wynds and the steps and the cobbles,  
He rode to a woman's sigh.  
For she was his secret treasure,  
She was his shame and his bliss.  
And a chain and a keep are nothing,  
Compared to a woman's kiss._"

His voice was gentle and filled with warmth. Other men in the inn raised their mugs and sang with him. This was a very popular song among the Empire, almost every soldier knew it.

" _For hands of gold are always cold,  
But a woman's hands are warm!  
For hands of gold are always cold,  
But a woman's hands are warm!"_

The bard let the last tunes of his lute echo through the Inn before people clapped their hands and cheered. "Thank you! Thank you all! Now a song for Skyrim's hero, the legend of old! The Dragonborn!" The bard roared and people raised their mugs in approval.

" _Gods_ , _no_." Khara mumbled with a desperation in her voice as she placed her hood back on and lowered her gaze. Hopefully it was just bad luck that the bard had chosen that song, hopefully he didn't know that the Dragonborn was in the very same room with him.

Serana laughed as she moved her hand over to pat Khara on her thigh. "You'll survive." She said amused. The barkeeper came up to them and placed a plate of food and drinks on their table. "Thank you." Serana said and the barkeeper smiled at her before leaving the pair to their meal.

The bard gestured for a female to join him while he started to play his lute.

" _Our hero, our hero  
Claims a warrior's heart  
I tell you, I tell you  
The Dragonborn comes."_

Her voice was truly amazing, everyone in the inn went quiet as she sang. Her voice was a gift given by the Divines.

"With a Voice wielding power  
Of the ancient Nord art  
Believe, believe,  
The Dragonborn comes

 _It's an end to the evil  
Of all Skyrim's foes  
Beware, beware  
The Dragonborn comes." _

Serana found herself enjoying the song very much. She caressed Khara's tight with her thumb while slightly swaying her head to the song.

" _For the darkness has passed  
And the legend yet grows  
You'll know, you'll know  
The Dragonborn comes."_

The melody faded as did the singers voice. They were no cheering or clapping this time, people just nodded their heads in respect for the singer and the hero of which she sang about.

Khara raised her head a little when the smell of stew hit her. Serana chuckled while Khara grabbed a bowl and held it with one hand as she leaned back and cherished every spoonful she took. Music started playing and people started talking while the two sat back and relaxed.

Serana closed her eyes as her hand stroked her wolf's warm, leather covered thigh, making her wolf hum in approval. Serana then got an idea, it had been a while since she last _played_ with Khara. While pretending to watch the bards she let her hand travel a little higher up the wolf's thigh, due to the table, no one could see what was happening. _Perfect._ Khara's breath hitched a little as she turned her head to look at Serana, who was busy enjoying the music.

Serana's fingers traced small circles on the inside of Khara's thigh as they very slowly made their way higher. Serana smiled to herself when she could her an increase in heartbeat from her wolf. Khara placed her now empty bowl on the table and rested her hands on her stomach, in the corner of her eyes she could see Serana. _You're not winning this one_. She thought. She made sure no one could see them before leaning closer to the woman next to her, she then brought her lips close to the vampire's ear. "If you keep doing that I might just have to tell you what I wanted to do to you back in that cave." She whispered seductively into the vampire's ear as her lips brushed over it.

Serana tightened her jaw before turning her head the slightest. "A-And what would that be?" Serana whispered back, suddenly finding it a little hard to speak.

Khara smiled as she brought her hand on Serana's thigh and continuing with a low, seductive voice. "First I would take off all these clothes." Khara let her hand travel to the inside of Serana's thigh as it made it way closer to a certain spot. "Then carry you to a bed and lower you onto it." Khara moved her lips to below the air now. "I would worship every inch of your body." She said as she pressed a wet kiss under her ear and moved her hand go a little higher. "And when you're finally ready and squirming beneath me." The hand was so extremely close to Serana's most intimate spot now. "I would travel down your beautiful body and throw one of your legs over my shoulder." She let one finger caress the sensitive skin beneath the leather. "And I would show you what years of practicing my tongue in the Thu'um _really_ feels like."

Serana was frozen, her hand on Khara's thigh was long forgotten as she could only feel the one on her own. She turned her head to Khara and saw blue eyes, blue non-glowing eyes. She knew exactly what that meant, and if the heavy breathing from Khara said anything, it was that the wolf was just as excited Serana was. Hell, she could _smell_ it, both of them could and it didn't help knowing that they were in a tavern filled with people.

Serana didn't really give a damn though as she was about to claim those warm, smooth lips. That was at least her plan until she felt someone's eyes on her. She moved a little back from Khara and looked at the person, much to Khara's enjoyment, the man from earlier had his eyes on Serana. Khara removed her hand, as did Serana, and she grabbed a cup and took a sip, trying to calm herself down from what had just happened.

"Remember me?" He said with a sweet voice as he took a step closer to her. "I have a question for you, if you don't mind." He said as he sat down at a chair next to Serana.

"Which is?" Serana asked with a very hoarse voice, she cleared it while the man only smiled some more at her.

"Are you religious?" He asked serious while his eyes looked into Serana's. How the man didn't figure out that she was a vampire was beyond her.

Serana narrowed her eyes on him. "Why would you ask that?" _What kind of question is that_? She though.

"Because you are the answer to my prayers." He said with a cocky grin. Serana's eyes widened while Khara choked on her drink. Khara turned her head away from the man and let out a silent laugh, this was exactly what she had hoped for.

Serana looked at the man, not really sure what to say. "Erm…" She really didn't know what to say.

"How about I show you the city? We can start with one of the inn's bedrooms." This man really had no game. Khara snorted, but the man ignored it, his eyes currently on his prey

"I don't think so." Serana said as she crossed her hands and leaned back, showing him that she's not going anywhere. Did people really find words like that charming?

"Come on now, we can get to-." He was interrupted by Khara. It was fun and all, but Serana was _hers_ , and hers alone.

"I really don't think she is interested, _friend_." She said while looking him dead in the eye.

The man raised his hand and spoke. "No need to be jealous, I'm a generous man, there is plenty for the both of you." He had a stupid smile on his face as he said the words.

Khara rolled her eyes and rose from her seat, she walked around the table and stood on the man's side. "Leave, now." Was all she said.

"Oh, come on now, I'll make it a night to rememb-" He was interrupted again.

"I said leave, neither one of us is interested. That's your last warning." Khara said with a voice that made Serana feel a chill travel up her spine. The man snorted before opening his mouth, but Khara opened hers first.

"FAS RU MAAR!" She shouted at the man and his eyes widened as he fell to the ground. She had been waiting to use the dismay shout for a while now, it was a little entertaining to watch how the man's face changed from cocky to absolutely terrified in only a second.

"I'll leave! I'll leave!" He shouted as he crawled back, leaving a little line of liquid on his path. He rose to his legs and ran out of the inn. Serana stood up and walked over to Khara.

"Did he just pee himself?" She asked amused.

Khara sniffed a little and made a funny face. "He sure did, serves him right, looking and talking to you like that." Khara said as she guided Serana out of the inn. There was no point in staying there anymore now that she had showed everyone that the Dragonborn was among them.

Serana laughed at the anger in Khara's voice. "You're right, only you get to do that." She said as she threw her hand over Khara's shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Damn right." Khara mumbled, feeling slightly better while they walked over to her home.

They climbed the steps up to the main door and Khara unlocked it with her key, she opened it for Serana and locked it after them.

"Well, this is it. Home sweet home." Khara said as she summoned her magic and got all the straps to loosen before taking off the different parts of armor. "Out of all the properties I own, this is my favorite. All decorations are where I want em' and no housecarls or such." Khara said as she worked on her ebony boots.

Serana looked around the room they were in. There was a long table with seven chairs at it next to a small, yet cozy looking bar. Serana saw that behind the bar was the cooking area with a table to prepare food on, an oven and a cooking station. There were spices and herbs hanging over the table and lots of crates and barrels placed in the corners, probably filled with cooking ingredients.

Khara walked to the middle of the room, right next to the dining table and summoned fire in her right hand. She looked at the chandelier and pointed her index finger at it and a small flame flew towards it, lighting its candles. The flame then moved to the other candles around the room and lighting them before splitting into two and going different ways, one went upstairs while the other went down to the basement.

Serana smiled, it was entertaining to watch. "You have to teach me that." She said as she turned to Khara.

Khara looked at Serana and smiled. "Sure thing." She walked over to a door and turned back at Serana. "I remember that you said alchemy was your favorite hobby." Khara said as she opened the door. Serana raised her eyebrows and walked over to Khara, who gestures for her to enter the room.

Her eyes widened and her jaw hang a little at the sight. The room was small, but it was enough for its purpose. In the right corner, there was an alchemy station that had a little table next to it with books, small urns and scrolls on it. There were two medium sized bookshelves along the left wall which was filled with bottles and potions, not books. On the wall in front of her there was also two shelves that were filled with ingredients, alchemy ingredients. There were also jars filled with all kinds of different things placed where there was room.

"I never really use this room, I only store ingredients in here after trips and such." Khara said as she walked behind Serana and opened on of four barrels in the back. "All the crates and barrels in here are filled with all sort of things, they're enchanted so they hold more that you'd expect." Khara walked over to the table. "There's all sorts of salts in there, fire, frost, void, you name it." Khara gestured to the urns.

"This is unbelievable." Serana said as she walked up to Khara slowly, tracing a finger along the table's surface as she moved.

"It's all yours, if you want." Khara said in a low voice. "I don't really have the talent for this." She gestured to the entire room. The wolf turned back to Serana and was rewarded with that special smile.

"Thank you." Serana whispered while looking around the room. She had never seen anything quite like it, and that's saying something.

Khara smiled at her before turning her gaze to her clothes, they were starting to get a little filthy. "Now I don't know about you, but I sure could use a bath."

"You and me both." Serana said as she looked through one of the books on the table.

"Do you want to go first?" Khara asked as she walked over to the door.

"Nah, you go." Serana said in a low voice as she walked over to one of the shelves with excitement in her eyes. Khara chuckled and walked out of the room, leaving the woman to create and experiment in the lab. If Serana hadn't been so distracted to this amazing lab then she would have suggested that they both should take a bath, together. But unfortunately, that thought didn't even cross her mind as she was currently lost in a book.

Khara walked downstairs and entered one of the three rooms down there. The room she was in had a huge bath in it, you could easily fit ten people in it. The water was warm and clear so that you could admire the carved art on the bottom, there was towels, soap and cloth on a table next to a wardrobe. Khara grabbed clean clothes out of the closet and undressed, she put her used clothes in a bucket before walking up two steps and lowered herself into the warm water. She sat down and leaned back against the stone wall and sat there for a little while before grabbing some soap and a piece of cloth.

After she was pleased with herself she walked out of the water and grabbed a towel. She then got dressed and walked out of the room and up the stairs where she found Serana still being very busy in the lab.

"You want to take that bath or should I just leave you to it." Khara said amused as she looked at the woman who was currently lost in another book. Serana lowered the book and looked at Khara with a shy smile.

"Yes, sorry. It's just been a while since I last had the chance to do all this." Serana said as her gaze traveled the room.

"Don't worry, it's not going anywhere and neither is the bath." Khara said with a chuckle. "It's down the stairs, first room to the right. Feel free to change clothes and all, what's mine is yours." Khara said as she looked at Serana. "Meanwhile, I'll be upstairs." She said with a smile.

"Sounds good, I'll join you in a few." Serana said as she sent Khara a charming smile. Khara nodded and left the room. Serana's eyes then widened. _You could have bathed together!_ She groaned as she put the book back on the table. "Stupid." She mumbled to herself.

Khara left Serana to finish her current read while she walked up to her bedroom. She walked through the enchanting room and entered the bedchamber. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her map and a new unused one. It had been a while since she had made a new map and it was about time, the old one was well used. She started copying the locations of the cities and villages before going more in detail.

Khara got lost in her work, she marked and drew locations before working on the edge of the map, drawing old Nordic patterns along its sides. In the corners she drew a wolf, bear, dragon and a horse head. She continued to draw and copy the old map as time flew by, after a little while she dropped the pencil and smiled at her work, it was far from complete, but she didn't mind having something extra to do in the coming days.

She was planning on going to the Blue Palace to talk with Sybille before getting some rest, she didn't expect the mage to have the knowledge of another vampire camp already, but it was worth a shot. Maybe the Jarl or someone else in the court knew something or someone who could point them in the right direction.

Maybe the Companions had some information about the matter. She was thinking of people who would know such things, but those thoughts were put on a pause when two pale hands were placed on her shoulders and the scent of lavender could be smelled.

"I didn't know you could draw." Serana whispered in the wolf's left air as she gave the shoulders a little squeeze.

"There's still a few things you don't know about me." Khara responded in a low voice a she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "I still got a few secrets."

"I'm going to find out you know." Serana said as she lowered her head a little and placed a kiss under the wolf's ear. "About your secrets." She whispered as she placed one kiss after the other on the warm skin. "One way or another." The mumbled against the wolf's skin. Khara hummed, she loved the attention Serana was giving her neck, it felt pretty good. She really wanted to just jump in bed at this point, but she also really wanted to get the business with Sybille done.

"We should ask Sybille if she knows the locations for any other vampire camps, might have gotten some information while we were away." Khara mumbled as she tilted her head, exposing more skin. "If we go now we can see if she got anything and if she doesn't we can head out to Whiterun, the Companions will have something for sure."

"Head out to Whiterun tomorrow." Serana commanded as she continued her assault on the wolf's neck. She really wanted to repay Khara for what she did earlier at the tavern, maybe even let the wolf demonstrate.

Khara gulped and nodded. "Tomorrow."

Serana raised her head to the wolf's ear and whispered. "Good, now let's go." And with that Serana left the room, leaving behind a very flustered Khara. The wolf opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling as she let out a breath. _Hopefully Sybille won't have anything for us_. Khara rose from her seat and walked down. They grabbed some light cloaks and left the house.

"Looks like a storm is underway." Serana said as she looked at the dark skies above.

"Aye, been a while since one have hit these parts. The land sure could use a little rain." They entered the Blue Palace and walked up the stairs, they spotted Sybille and walked over to where she sat with book in hand.

The woman looked up at the two and smiled. "I take it the hunt went well?" She asked in a smooth voice as her eyes returned to her book.

"That it did." Khara said as she looked around the room before continuing. "You wouldn't know of any other camps now, would you?"

"Afraid not, it's been rather quiet of late." Sybille said as she lowered the book to her lap. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is happening?"

Serana took a seat while Khara leaned against the wall. "Some sort of prophecy have gotten into the head of a very powerful vampire, something that will benefit all vampires."

Sybille leaned forward as she looked at Khara. "What sort of prophecy?"

"We're not sure yet, we have what we need to find out what it's all about, but the one who can give us the information have to do some preparations in order to do it right. That's why we're here, our current task is at the moment on a pause." Khara explained.

"I see." Sybille rose from her seat. "I can send you a raven if I find out anything else about any vampire camps and lairs."

"Do that, we'll be on our way to Whiterun." Khara felt Serana's eyes bore into the side of her skull before she quickly added. "Tomorrow, we'll travel there tomorrow."

"Good, the wolves might know more than I do on the matter." Sybille said as she was gestured by the Jarl's steward to come over to him. "Now if you'll excuse me, it looks like the court need my opinion on something, safe travels." And with that the woman walked over to the other court members.

Khara looked over to Serana who sent the wolf a mischievous smirk. The vampire walked past Khara and down the stairs that would take her to the Palace's doors. Serana stopped at the door and turned around to see that Khara was still on top of the stairs, looking at Serana with eyes filled with longing. She simply raised an eyebrow at the wolf, which made the wolf's legs move on their own accord.

Serana opened the door for Khara and whispered to the wolf as she passed. "How about we go to bed?" Khara nodded her head. Something told her that there wouldn't be much actual sleeping involved, but that really didn't bother her.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 8_

 _A night in Solitude_

The rain was pouring down from the skies above, swallowing the sound of their feet that was carrying them towards shelter. It was dark, the only light being offered was that of the torches held by the few guards and those who were firmly planted on the stone walls. The few places where it was dark, lighting from above showed them the path.

They ran, they laughed, they smiled as they made their way through the harsh weather. They passed house after house before reaching their destination, Proudspire Manor. Khara's hands were shaking, but not because of the cold, but because of how hard she was laughing. Why did they laugh? Maybe it was the looks that they shared while they ran, maybe it was because they were both so content in that moment, so carefree.

Once the door had been defeated and the lock twisted, they made their way inside. "I can't feel my hands, Khara!" Serana said with a shaky laugh as she hugged herself for warmth, but found little. Khara locked the door and turned to the shaking woman standing in her house, her home. She walked up to her companion and threw an arm around the woman as she guided her to some stairs that would take them to the next floor, then into her bedroom.

"Let's get you into some dry clothes." Khara laughed as she guided Serana into the room and grabbed one of the many blankets from her bed before placing it around Serana. She then walked over to the corner of the room and opened a wardrobe and got out some dry clothes for cold vampire. She turned around and was met with the most beautiful sight she had ever witnessed.

Standing there on the floor was Serana with a blanket wrapped around herself, looking at Khara with her stunning orange eyes. Khara walked over to her with the new set of clothes, she gave them to Serana who let out a shaky 'thanks' in return. Khara walked over to the fireplace and started a fire with ease, she looked into the flames while on one knee to make sure it wouldn't die out. A sound grabbed her attention and she turned a little where she was and looked towards the bed. There Serana stood in only her undergarments and with a blanket around herself, drops of water making their way down long, toned pale legs.

In that moment time froze. Khara's eyes widened as that feeling in her stomach finally surfaced. _It's her_. The wolf within whispered, making its presence known for the first time in a for the last days. _She's the one who makes you feel it_. Khara's wolf aspect howled before continuing. _She's the one who feeds your flame_. Khara gulped, but her wolf aspect was right, Khara felt that feeling again, that very same feeling that she felt when she fought Alduin. She needed to get closer, needed to feel, to smell, to just _be_ close to the other woman.

Khara rose from where she was and looked at the beauty before her. Serana must have felt the wolf's eyes on her because she turned around and looked Khara straight in the eye, a smile playing on her lips, making it so that the wolf could see her fangs. _I think I have a thing for those fangs_. She thought before her legs started moving on their own accord, bringing the wolf closer to the vampire, the woman she so much desired in every single way possible.

Serana stood still as her eyes followed the wolf's movements. Khara walked up to her, their faces only a few inches away from each other. Khara looked at hair as dark as the darkest night, _smooth like silk_ , the wolf spirit within said. Her eyes traveled down to Serana's face to the pale skin, _flawless_ , it whispered. She moved her eyes to the softest lips, her stomach doing flips at the memories of having them against her own. _Let it out_ , the aspect said. She moved her gaze to the most stunning eyes she had ever seen, they were orange like the most beautiful sunset. _Let it out_ , it said again.

"What are y-" _Let. It. Out,_ it commanded Khara and she couldn't deny it anymore.

"You are so _incredibly_ beautiful." Khara's whispered as her eyes roamed the woman's face before returning to her eyes once more. "Everything about you is, the way you move, talk, think, everything, you are so _beautiful_." Khara's eyes didn't have that glow to the anymore, they were filled with something else, something that could only be seen by Serana.

Serana looked back at her, lips slightly parted as she heard the words in repeat in her head, _you are so incredibly beautiful_. She knew that Khara wasn't just talking about her looks, she was talking about Serana as a person, an actual _person_ , not a vampire or a monster, a person. It made her heart swell, because Khara made her believe it, it made her smile. She wanted to say something back, tell Khara she was beautiful too, smart, funny, incredible, but she knew that sometimes actions spoke louder than words, so she raised a hand to her wolf's cheek and caressed it before pressing her lips against warm ones.

The kiss was deep, sweet, _passionate_ as Serana moved another hand to Khara's neck, not caring that her blanket fell to the floor, all she cared about was the woman warming her cold body. They had been playing this little game for a few days now where they would tease and excite the other. They both knew that this was coming and there was so many feelings at play, they both had so much they wanted to show the other.

Their lips continued their dance against each other while eager hands roamed the other's body. " _Khara_." She said with a voice that made Khara whimper at the amount of _want_ in that one word.

Khara then bent down the tiniest bit, still making sure their lips were connected before lifting Serana up, her hand firmly holding the woman close to her. Serana's legs locked around the back of her waist as they continued to kiss, each kiss more eager, _hungrier_ than the last. Khara slowly walked them over to the bed and when Khara's legs hit the edge of the bed she gently lowered Serana onto the bed, their lips not leaving each other.

Serana's hand made their way to Khara's shirt, one moment later it was thrown over the wolf's shoulder as Serana ran her hands over the newly exposed skin. She caressed Khara's shoulders, then collarbone and then the wolf's neck as their lips moved together with more passion and desire than ever before. Serana reached behind the wolf's back and did quick work of the piece that was covering her breasts as it was now lying somewhere on the floor. Khara did the same and was dying to see Serana in all her glory, well almost in all her glory, there was still one piece of clothing left on the woman beneath her, but even the gods knew that it wouldn't stay there for much longer.

Khara moved her lips away from Serana's in favor to attack a very exposed neck. Serana moved a hand down and started working on getting Khara's trousers off, but it was proving to be quite the challenge with just one hand, causing the woman to let out a hiss in annoyance. It made the wolf chuckle as she kissed, licked and nibbled her neck. After a few more attempts however, Serana succeeded and Khara decided to help her a little as she wiggled out of the trousers.

Khara's lips found that special spot on Serana's neck and she gently bit down on it before sucking the skin into her mouth and running her tongue over it. Her actions were rewarded with the most beautiful sound in existence, a deep moan. Khara showered her neck with wet kisses before she raised her head a little so that she could blow over the skin, making Serana shiver at the wonderful feeling.

They moved further up the bed and Khara gently pushed Serana down so that she was lying on flat on her back. Khara sat on top of her, each thigh firmly planted on each side of Serana's waist. Serana placed her hands on each of Khara's thighs. They looked at each other as their breathing only increased due to the look they had in their eyes. Khara looked down on Serana's stomach before traveling higher to her breasts, her beautiful, supple, well rounded breasts. Khara slowly lowered her hand and her gaze down to the right side of Serana's stomach, both of their breath hitched at the electricity that could be felt at the touch. Serana's eyes were unable to move away from Khara's face, it looked like Khara was looking at the most amazing thing in the world, the wolf's eyes didn't even blink and it made Serana feel that hunger inside her grow, and we aren't talking about the hunger for blood.

Khara spread out her fingers while her hand followed the cool, flawless skin higher, all the way till the tip of her fingers hit incredibly soft skin. Khara raised her gaze to Serana's eyes and asked with her eyes if she could continue her exploring, Serana's lips just managed to smile as she gave the smallest nod, but Khara saw it.

The wolf's eyes returned to her hand and slowly she let it travel the side Serana's breast. Khara had to swallow due to how bad her mouth was watering, it was so incredibly soft. She moved her hand a little more so that her palm was directly on it. She groaned at the sensation and lowered herself so that she could reclaim her lover's lips once more. Serana's hand welcomed her and guided Khara to her lips as the wolf's hand did wonders to her breast. When their lips met it made them both release a moan at the feeling, Serana pulled Khara closer, making it so their chest finally pressed against each other without the barriers of clothes.

Serana's lips froze as that feeling in her stomach did a flip when Khara let her thumb brush over her now erect nipple. Serana threw a leg over Khara's waist and lowered her down, making it so their midsections met each other, hard.

Khara placed her head in the crook of Serana's neck as she let out a deep groan while she pressed her body harder against Serana. Khara's heart was just about to burst out of her chest at this point, the sounds Serana was making combined with the touch, the _smell_. It was driving her insane, she wanted to feel more, _needed_ to feel more. Khara's mouth went down to a breast as her hands traveled lower to where they tugged the last piece of fabric that remained on the woman squirming underneath her.

Serana got the message and lifted her waist to assist Khara as one of her hands went to find white hair. Khara kissed around her nipple before capturing it between her lips and sucking gently as her hand caressed Serana's hipbone, before snaking its way between their bodies and to the spot Serana needed it the most.

Khara placed on last kiss on her breast before leaving it and moving her head up to rest her forehead against Serana's. She looked into orange eyes as she moved her hand to Serana's core and ran a finger through her wet folds. Serana's eyebrow furrowed, her back arched a little as her mouth opened a little as she let out a shaky breath, however her eyes didn't leave Khara's. Serana hand moved from Khara's hair to her shoulder while the other moved to the wolf's back.

Khara's fingers continued their exploring, moving up and down though her folds before suddenly hitting Serana's bundle of nerves. Serana's eyes were forced shut as she dug her nails into Khara's back and shoulder.

" _Khara_." Serana moaned as Khara placed featherlight kisses on her cheek before hovering over her mouth. She moved her middle finger down to Serana's entrance and placed her lips on Serana's as she entered her slowly, swallowing the vampire's moans.

" _Zu'u lokal hi_." The wolf mumbled against soft lips. She then started motioning her finger in and out for a little while before adding another finger and Serana gasped at the feeling. Khara moved her head to Serana's neck and kissed, licked and sucked on it while she used her other hand to massage the woman's breast.

"So _beautiful_." Khara mumbled against her neck. Serana's hand on Khara's shoulder moved to the wolf's neck, making sure she didn't move as the things she did with her mouth combined with her hands gave Serana a new understanding of the word _pleasure_.

Khara starts using her hips to aid her in sending Serana into a state of pure bliss, her fingers went deeper and faster and the sounds coming from the woman beneath her only motivated Khara to keep going. " _Don't s-stop_." Serana cried out in a whisper into her wolf's ear.

Khara curls her fingers inside Serana and brush against that special spot, Serana released a strangled moan at the sensation and Khara groaned at the divine sound. " _Never_." Khara breathed out. The way Serana felt around her fingers was out of this world, she noticed that Serana's walls were hugging her tighter and tighter, she was so close to finding release. Khara placed her thumb over of Serana's bundle of nerves. She pushed her fingers in one last time and curled them at the same time she pushed down with her thumb. _Oh, by the blood_. Serana's curled her body into Khara's and her mouth found a warm shoulder as she bit down while releasing a long, muffled moan while she rode out her release.

Khara's eyes were forced shut as she felt wave after wave of ecstasy travel though her body due to the bite, Serana wasn't feeding on her and she certainly weren't turning her, she would never do that without Khara's consent. But whatever it was, it made Khara find her own release. Serana removed her fangs and threw her head on the pillow as Khara's limpness body fully rested against her own, Khara's head found the crook of Serana's neck. Both were breathing heavily and had their eyes shut as their chests heaved against each other.

Khara removed her hand from Serana's core which caused Serana to shiver. She then dragged it up the covers before finding cool skin, a shoulder, while her other hand rested along Serana's side. Serana's hands were now both on Khara's lower back.

Khara nuzzled her neck before raising her head and hovering over Serana's. Serana opened her eyes and smiled at the woman over her.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey yourself." Khara responded before connecting their lips in a gentle, sweet kiss. Serana hugged her tighter as Khara's lips left a trail of kisses down to her cheek, then to her neck where she once more nuzzled her face into the crook of a cool neck. "You okey?" Khara whispered into her neck as Serana closed her eyes.

Serana had to smile, was she feeling okey? She was feeling good, amazing, incredible, all those words mixed into one is how she felt. " _Yes_." She purred. "You?" She asked while stroking Khara's back with one hand.

"I feel _great_." Khara whispered. "What did you do to me?"

"What do you mean?" Serana opened her eyes.

"You know, when you bit me." The wolf said as she ran fingers over cool, smooth skin.

Serana's eyes widened and her hand stopped. "I bit you?" Her voice was faint, but the wolf heard it and she heard how worried Serana sounded.

Khara moved of Serana to lay next to her as she showed her the bite mark on her shoulder. "Right there." Serana looked at the mark and hovered a hand over it.

"Oh, Khara. I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to." She was starting to panic, she didn't mean to bite her, she simply got lost in the moment.

"Hey, calm down, it's fine, it's fine." Khara said in a low gentle voice as she stroked Serana's arm. "What is it? I know you weren't feeding." She asked.

"I…" Serana's eyes roamed the bite makes. "Since vampires don't really fancies marriages and such, we don't use rings to show others that we are taken. We…" Serana lowered her gaze and turned her head away from Khara in shame.

Khara's hand moved to Serana's cheek and guided her gaze back to Khara's. "Tell me." She whispered.

Serana swallowed before speaking. "We leave a special bite mark on our significant other to show others that they are taken, normally on the neck where it's easily spotted. Looks like I still had some sense in me since I placed on your shoulder and not your neck, can't imagine people liking seeing bitemarks on their hero." Serana looked so shameful at that moment and her voice was trembling a little. "If we get a healing potion now and treat it there won't be a mark." Serana was about to get out of beat and fetch a potion when a hand was holding her body in place. She looked over to Khara who was watching her with adoring eyes. _She isn't mad_?

"Don't you dare leave this bed." She said.

"But it'll scar, Khara." Serana said as she tried to move again, but to no prevail, the wolf is stronger than she looks.

"Then let it scar. I happen to like it, a lot." Khara said with no doubt in her voice as she reached to get a blanket over the two. "The only thing that's bad about all this is that I can't leave a mark on you." Khara said as her eyes traveled hungrily over Serana before she placed the blanket over them.

Serana tried not to smile, but failed miserably. She let her worry and shame float away as she could only focus on the woman that was smiling at her. Serana then noticed something and frowned a little. "What's wrong?" Khara asked.

"You're too far away from me right now." Serana said as she gestured to Khara to get closer, Khara smiled as she herself settled halfway on top of Serana and hid her face in the vampire's neck once more. Serana wrapped her hands around her wolf and signed happily. "You're so warm." Serana said in a low voice as she hugged Khara tighter. "Sleep Khara, I'll be here when you wake up."

This whole night so far had almost felt like a dream to Khara, surreal. If someone would have told her a few weeks ago that she would be sharing her bed with another person, she wouldn't have believed it, not one bit. She never thought that she would ever meet someone who would earn her trust in so little time. She never thought she would meet someone who would make her feel like this again, so, _so alive_. The flame deep inside her soul was burning brighter than had in the last two years, and the reason behind it was currently holding their arms around her in a tight embrace.

Serana had started to run her fingers through white hair and in only a matter of second, Khara fell asleep.

 _Khara awoke to the feeling of something cold around her wrists, she tried to get her hands closer to her chest, but something was holding them in place. She opened her eyes and quickly realized that this she was no longer in her home, or in Solitude for that matter. She was on her knees in a dark room, there was dust, rubble and bones scattered around the stone floor, cobwebs in all corners and the room looked like it was some sort of cathedral, but it was mostly in ruin._

 _Her head felt heavy just like the rest of her body. She lifted her head and could see something in front of her, just up a few steps. It looked like an altar of…Of Molag Bal. There was also something on top of the alter, it was an Elder Scroll. Khara's eyes widened as she yanked her arms in an attempt to free herself, but stopped when she heard the sound of metal clashing together. Her head whipped to the side when she heard footsteps._

" _Ah, it would seem our guest have finally decided to honor us with her presence." A male voice spoke from behind her._

 _The footsteps came closer until Khara could see a man appear from the shadows to her left. He wore clothes that looked awfully similar to Serana's._

" _Glad to have you among us Khara." He said as she sent her a smile, but there was no kindness in it. Khara tried to stand up, put didn't find the strength to do so. She looked at the man. "My apologies for the shackles."_

" _Who are you?" She said, but flinched at the pain it caused her. Her throat felt like it had been badly strangled or something._

" _You already know my name, but I guess a proper introduction is in place." The man said as he passed back and forth in front of Khara. He stopped his walking and looked down at her. "I am Lord Harkon." He said with his arrogant voice._

 _Khara's eyes widened as her facial expression took on an angrier look. "You're the one responsible for all the vampire attacks." She spat._

 _He smiled a wicked smile at her. "Glad to see that you have heard of my work." He said as he lowered himself down to her level. "Perhaps you've even seen it? I'm sure one of my minions managed to flay one of your fellow dogs."_

 _Khara gave Harkon a look that could kill. "Why do you do all this." She moved her hands as she spoke. "What could you possibly gain."_

" _My prophecy will make the sun vanish and with it, the power of mortals." He said as he got closer to Khara. "I will rule all of Tamriel."_

 _Khara let out a laugh, but it was cold as ice. "You must truly be fool then!" She shook her head. "Without the sun, there will be no vegetation you idiot. No plants, no animals, no animals, no food for the mortals. And guess what! No mortals, no fucking blood for you or your kind!" Khara shouted to his face. "You'll rule over nothing but ruins and bones!" She spat._

 _Lord Harkon moved closer at an incredible speed and gripped Khara's throat hard as he moved his head closer to hers and opened his mouth. "Then I'll rule over ruins and bones." He hissed through gritted teeth. Khara leaned her head back before clashing it with Harkon's, knocking the man back. He got back on his feet and brought a hand to his bleeding nose. He simply chuckled._

 _Khara spat at his feet. "You're fucking disgusting, and don't you dare think for a second that your little prophecy will ever be fulfilled!"_

" _No?" He said as he took a step back with an evil smirk on his face. "My dear, I already have everything that I need." He said as he looked behind Khara, she then heard more footsteps behind here. There is someone else here? She thought._

 _The person walked over to Harkon and when Khara's eyes finally could see who it was, they widened and it felt like a thousand daggers found her heart. No, no this isn't happening._

 _Harkon looked at the defeated look on Khara's face and took great pleasure in it. The person handed Harkon two Elder Scrolls. "Thank you Serana, dear." He said as he looked at his daughter, then back at Khara. "You look surprised, Khara." He said as he chuckled and walked over to the alter where he placed the two Scrolls next to the other. "You see, Serana never fled the Castle, she left with my permission." While Harkon talked the orange eyes of the woman she had had cared so much for looked back at her with cold, emotionless eyes. Harkon grabbed a dagger and turned to look at Khara with a wicked smile._

 _Harkon walked down the few steps and placed a hand on his daughter shoulder his eyes roamed her face. "It was actually Serana's idea to earn you trust, to get you to show her where the Scroll were. She saw how easy it would be to manipulate you into trusting her." He chuckled. "Tell me my dear daughter, did you enjoy your little game?" He said to Serana._

 _Serana's eyes stayed on Khara. "Very much, it was almost too easy." Serana said with a cold voice._

 _Harkon smiled before placing a kiss on his daughter's cheek. "You did what was expected of you and proved to be a useful tool, my dear child," He turned his gaze to Khara, who was fighting tears at this point. "But as all tools, they can only be used for so much." He said as he sliced Serana's throat open._

" _NO!" Khara cried out with all her might, making the whole building shake at the force of her voice. The cry echoed throughout the whole room, as did the laugher of Harkon. Khara's eyes followed the movement of the woman's body as if fell to the ground, her back towards Khara. Her eyes were then blinded when a bright red light that emerged from the altar. Everything was red._

Khara's eyes shot open and she recoiled away from Serana's embrace, making the vampire wake. She grabbed another blanket and leaned her back onto the headboard. Her heart was hammering, sweat was on her forehead and her eyes were clenched shut as her breathing was heavy. _It was just a dream, just a dream_ , her wolf spirit whispered.

"Khara?" Serana asked in a gently, yet worried voice. Serana had awoken to Khara flying off her, she had managed to see her wolf's eyes for a second before they closed themselves, and they were filled with fear, doubt and pain and were glowing in that bright blue color. Serana sat up and looked at the wolf, was it wise to touch her? Should she touch her? She was uncertain because Khara's eyes had looked straight at Serana when she had seen all of those emotions, was Khara afraid of her?

Serana didn't get any sort of response from the wolf, so she climbed out of bed, quickly grabbed her undergarment and a shirt and put them on, as she made her way over to Khara's side of the bed. She sat down next to the wolf's feet and waited patiently. She had never seen Khara like this before, so scared, little, so vulnerable. Her wolf was shaking and tears was rolling down her cheeks.

Serana swallowed her worry and spoke again. "Khara." She whispered.

Khara's eyes opened, they were red from her silent cries. Khara looked at Serana, she looked into those orange eyes. _These are different,_ she heard in her head as she looked deeper into them. _These aren't emotionless, look deeper, Khara_ , her aspect whispered. She looked into those eyes, those warm, beautiful, loving eyes. Khara lowered her eyes to Serana's hand that was close to Khara's. She slowly reached for it, hoping that it was real, hoping that it wasn't a shade, a vision or a ghost. The tips of her fingers brushed over Serana's ever so slowly before placing itself over the whole hand. Khara let out a breath of relief as she grabbed it at pulled its owner closer to her. She brought Serana into a tight embrace and hid her head in the crook of the other woman's neck as she sobbed.

Serana's reaction was immediate. She wrapped her arms around Khara and hugged her back. Trying to channel as much emotions as possible into the embrace, while she felt warm tears travel down her neck. She moved one hand up to Khara's hair and stroked it as she whispered words of comfort to the woman in her arms. She knew that Khara would speak when she was ready so, until then, Serana was more than happy to just hold her.

Khara's hands desperately gripped the back of Serana's shirt, afraid that somehow the woman would vanish. She inhaled Serana's scent and slowly her heart slowed down as did her breathing. Her hands released their grip on the shirt and roamed the vampire's back.

"It was just a dream." Khara whispered in a weak voice, but she wasn't sure if she said it to Serana or to herself. She then let out a little laugh. "You keep seeing me at my worst, first Helgen and now this." Khara said as she opened her eyes. "I swear I'm not normally like this." She mumbled against Serana's skin.

Serana joined in on the little weak laughter. "I'm not exactly flawless myself." She said as she ran her fingers through white hair. She felt Khara smile against her neck and it made her smile as well. "I've just had a few more years than you to learn how to hide it."

Khara let out a laugh again. "A _few_ _years_?" Khara left the comfort pf Serana's neck and rested her forehead against a shoulder.

Serana leaned back so that she could see those blue eyes again. Khara had her head lowered, bit Serana moved a hand to her chin and lifted it up so that their eyes met. Serana searched her face and brought both hands up to her cheeks and wiped away the tears that her eyes spotted. "I thought that we had solved the problem with Vaermina." She said as she wiped the last tears away and looking back into blue eyes.

Khara closed her eyes for a moment as she gave a nod, she then reopened them. "We did, that dream was all me." She said with a sad smile.

Serana lowered her hands in favor to hold one' Khara's that was now on the wolf's lap, on the blanket. "Do you have such dreams often?"

Khara looked down at their hands. "Yeah, not always that vivid, but I have them a few times a week."

"How long have you had these dreams, what are they about?" Serana asked in a low, gentle voice.

"I've had them since I fought Alduin." Khara said as she gave their hands a little squeeze. "They mostly about my fears, doubts and people that I care greatly for." She looked back up at Serana and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess he wanted to give me a little parting gift." She said with a little smile playing at her lips.

Serana nodded while moving over to the other side of the bed so that she too could lean back against the headboard. Serana still held one of Khara's hands as they sat next to each other. Khara leaned her head on the other woman's shoulder. "What happened after you fought Alduin, Khara?" Serana whispered as she stroked her thumb over warm skin.

Khara looked around the dark room. Her eyes found the fire that she lit some hours ago, she looked into the flames as she remembered. "I got lost." Her eyes fell to her lap. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do."

Serana stayed quiet and listened to what the wolf had to say.

"Its sick that I'm about to say this, but..." Khara closed her eyes. "The years that Alduin roamed the land was the best years of my life." Khara opened her eyes and looked down at her lap. "Which is a horrible thing to say, I mean he was flying around burning down villages, killing hundreds of people, but it's the truth. My goal was clear when he was around, what I needed to do was clear. I had no idea what to do after that, I'm not exactly the type of person who would just settle down. So, I got lost in work, I did all kinds of jobs that I could get my hands on. Rescue citizens, bounties, retrieve lost heirlooms, protect expeditions and caravans, it didn't matter, the less I was alone with my mind the better, I was going mad just being on my own." Khara sighed as she squeezed Serana's hand. "That's when I got involved with the Collage of Winterhold and later, the Thieves Guild. It was a good distraction, it kept me busy for some months. If I was busy doing something I didn't need to feel so, so…"

"Lonely?" Serana asked, but she already knew the answer.

"So damn lonely…" Khara nodded as she spoke.

Serana gave their hand's a little squeeze and smiled a sad smile. "I know exactly what you're talking about. I felt the same for, well for centuries really, being locked in that castle with only my parents and their servants. I couldn't stand the thought of being stuck in that place for all eternity, that there wasn't anything else I was supposed to do with my life. I was so lonely, before I was locked up my social interactions for whole decades could be counted on one hand, it was extremely depressing to say the least."

"Do you still feel that way?" Khara asked as she turned her head a little on Serana's shoulder. "Lonely?" She whispered.

Serana smiled as she turned her head and kissed Khara on the head. "Not so much." She mumbled amused against white hair.

Khara flew off Serana's shoulder and moved forwards before quickly spinning around the bed. She grabbed Serana by the waits and pulled the woman down on the bed. Serana's eyes were wide as she let out a little squeal.

Khara straddled here, grabbed her hands and placed them over the vampire's head as she moved her lips to attack her neck, kissing and nibbling the cool skin. "Khara!" Serana laughed out as she wiggled around under the wolf.

" _Not so much_?" Khara repeated as she continued her assault.

"I was just kidding!" Serana laughed as she used her strength to reclaim her hand who found the wolf's shoulders, she then with a quick move, flipped them over, their roles now reversed as Serana was now straddling Khara.

Khara let her arms fall to her sides as her eyes locked with Serana's. Khara smiled a goofy smile and Serana just snorted as she lowered her body to lay on Khara's. She kissed her collar bone, her neck, then her jaw, cheek until finally claiming those lips she so badly needed to taste. Khara hummed into the kiss as her arms found Serana's back.

"Hungry?" Khara mumbled against her lips.

Serana hummed as they continued kissing before letting Khara get some air.

"Go on then, what is mine is yours." She said before stealing one more kiss.

Serana smiled and dragged her lips down to Khara's neck. She kissed the stop before gently sinking her throat into the warm skin. Khara let one hand fall lazily to her side as the other found black hair and streaked it, she loved this feeling. She loved the feeling of being able to provide for her… _My lover? Partner? Mate_? _Yes_. She loved the feeling of giving something that her partner needed, it felt fantastic. Khara closed her eyes and smiled as Serana fed.

Serana was smiling too, the blood that was running down her throat had never felt sweeter. It was most likely because of Khara's feelings and how content the wolf was at the moment, because Serana could _taste_ it, she could taste just how pleased her wolf was. _Wait what?_ Serana opened her eyes, she could taste it? The taste of blood is different from mortal to mortal. There is even a reason for why vampires like to seduce their victims or take it while they sleep, blood from scared or angry mortals taste worse, bitter and sour. So, it does make sense that it would taste different when the victim is in a better mood, but what would it taste like if…Serana wanted to test this theory and she knew Khara wouldn't mind. She grinded against Khara, making the wolf release a little whimper as her hand on Serana's head held a little tighter around her hair.

Serana's eyes were forced to close and she released a groan due to the blood turning sweeter, more luscious, more delicious than ever. She removed her fangs and simply held her lips against the bitemark, kissing it every now and then.

Khara's smile grew as she lowered her hand to Serana's shoulder where she moved her fingers in a circular motion against the smooth skin. "That feels good." She whispered and Serana hummed in response. Serana licked over the bitemark to stop the blood and rested her head on Khara's chest.

"What does 'Zu'u lokal hi' mean?" Serana whispered, she had managed to catch Khara say that earlier.

Khara's eyes shot open, _shit_. "Erm…" She cleared her throat. "That's a secret." _Smooth, very smooth_ , the aspect said amused.

Serana lifted her head and looked at Khara, who as currently blushing. "I figured out after we met Paarthurnax that 'Zu'u' means 'I'." Serana said, she was pretty sure what Khara had said, but wanted the wolf to say it again. "So what kind on sentence that contains three words and that starts with 'I' could you have said?" She said while looked into blue eyes with a little smirk on her lips. Khara's eyes was in their blue non-glowing state as they looked back into orange eyes.

Serana moved closer and hovered over the wolf's face. "I will find out, you know." Serana whispered as she kissed her. Khara inhaled as she hugged Serana closer.

"I know." Khara whispered as she held Serana's eyes. Serana smiled and kissed her cheek before placing her head on Khara's chest again. Serana closed her eyes because she knew that when Khara promises something, she would keep that promise. With the warmth of her wolf and the scent of fire, Serana was gone after a few moments and it didn't take long for Khara to join her as sleep claimed them both.

Serana's eyes roamed her face, taking in every little detail about it, her white hair, the scar under her right eye. She snaked her hand closer to her wolf's face and traced the scar with a single finger, following it down. She could see Khara's eyebrows move a little due to her actions, it made her smile. She moved her hand down to the wolf's chin and when they had arrived at their destination, she moved her thumb over Khara's lower lip, making Khara wrinkle her nose a little. Serana bit her lower lip in order not to let out a giggle. She ran her thumb over it again.

Khara's eyes fluttered open and it took her a moment to focus on what was in front of her, when she did see what is was, or who rather, it made her smile before moving her eyes to Serana's lips. Serana was still biting her lower lips, making her fangs show. _I really do have a thing for those fangs_. Khara sucked in her lips, she remembered what those fangs can do. Her eyes went back up to Serana's and the vampire rose an eyebrow.

Khara's eyes went back down to her lips and she smirked. "I think I have a thing for your fangs." Khara mumbled.

Serana's eyebrow shot up. "Like a fetish?" She whispered amused.

Khara shrugged her sounders. "Show them to me." She asked in a low voice. Serana smirked and showed her fangs. "Bite your lip again." She said and Serana did as she was asked. "Yup, fetish." She mumbled, eyes stuck on the fangs. She rolled onto her stomach and looked into Serana's eyes, she brought her hand up so that is was closes to Serana's, but not touching it.

Serana looked at the wolf's hand before looking back at blue eyes. Khara moved her hand so she brushed her fingers against Serana's, it made her smile. "I like this." She said as her eyes followed her hand's movements. "Walking up with you by my side." Serana smiled at her. "There is that little moment when I wake up when I don't remember where I am or who's with me. And I get surprised sometimes when I see that you're in the bed with me." Khara said as she furrowed her brows. "But it's like a _really_ good surprise." She then furrowed her brows some more before looking back at Serana with apologetic eyes. "I'm not that good with compliments." She said. "And now I'm just rambling, really." She mumbled and closed her eyes and groaned.

Serana just looked at her with a smile, was the things that Khara said sometimes a little odd? Yeah, maybe, but the vampire found it to be charming. Serana turned her hand so that their palms touched. "I like this too." Serana said and it made Khara smile a little. "I also like it when you're rambling." She said amused which caused Khara to hide her face in her pillow while groaning.

Serana moved over and kissed her shoulder before patting her on it as she got out of bed. Serana got dressed while Khara watched the show, without the vampire's knowledge. Serana turned around to Khara and saw a huge satisfied grin on her face. "Get dressed Khara." Serana said amused as she tossed some clothes at the wolf. Khara smiled as she got dressed, waking up next to Serana is something she wouldn't mind doing for the rest of her days, she had never felt like this before and she had to admit, she could get used to this.

The rest of the morning went well, they had some food, Khara fixed the cut on Serana's armor and they left Proudspire Manor within a couple of hours. Once outside of the city they paid a carriage driver to take them to Whiterun, it was time to have a little chat with the wolves again.

They jumped on the carriage and sat down, the driver signaled to the house to start moving.  
"So, what awaits in Whiterun?" The driver asked with a cheerful voice while he steered the wagon. It wasn't uncommon to chat with your local carriage diver and since they had just started the trip, the might as well be a little social.

"Just business with the Companions, you've heard about the vampire attacks, right?" Khara asked as she moved up close to the driver and leaned over on an arm.

"Aye, that I have, nasty that is. Heard a whole group of em' sneaking around by Ivarstead, I pity them, they don't even have walls, let alone enough guards if you ask me." The driver said as he turned to look at Khara. "Apparently, they didn't attack or harm anyone as far as I've been told, they just asked around for someone. The innkeeper didn't ever realize that they were vampires until they were already gone." The driver turned his gaze back to the road ahead and huffed. Vampires looking for 'someone' in Ivarstead does not sound good. Khara turned her gaze to Serana, who also shared her worried look. "I bet ya' they used one of their mind-manipulating spells."

Khara moved to the back of the wagon again and sat next to Serana. "Sounds like your father might be on the track to find our priest." Khara leaned back and placed her hands on her lap as she sighed. "Hopefully they didn't get any information about Dexion from Wilhelm, but…"

Serana placed a hand on Khara's shoulder as she looked at the wolf. "We'll go and check after were done in Whiterun, maybe even Odahviing could take us there if he is still around."

"Yeah, that's a good plan. He might be around, it's not certain though." Khara said as she looked down at her feet. "Hopefully he is." She said as she turned her gaze to Serana and offered her a little smile. Serana returned the smile and gave Khara's shoulder a little squeeze.

* * *

The carriage driver stopped and turned around to face the two women. "There ya' go ladies, always nice when there is no trouble on the road." He said as his eyes roamed the walls of Whiterun.

Khara nodded and gave the man his well-earned gold. "Thanks for the ride."

"Aye, no problem that. Pleasure doing business with ya', stay safe ladies." He said as he moved over to talk with the stablemaster.

Serana moved and looked at the city, hopefully her second encounter with the Companions will be better than the first, hopefully. She looked over at Khara. "You ready?" She asked as she read the wolf.

Khara turned her gaze to meet Serana's. "Yes, let's just hope the brothers won't be so difficult this time around." Khara said as they started walking up to the gates.

"The others won't have a problem?" She asked as she looked at the old, crumbled walls of Whiterun.

"They might not be very friendly towards you, but they'll be respectful." Khara looked back as Serana. "I'll make sure they do." She said. There was no way she would let anyone talk to Serana in a hostile, disrespectful manner. She knew that the other members of the Companions would not dare get on her bad side, they knew what she could do and what she would do to protect her friends.

They moved up to the gates where a guard approached them. "Hold it right there, the city is closed with all the vampire's lurking around." He said as he looked up and actually saw who they were, or who Khara was. His eyes widened as he stood straighter. "My apologies, Thane." He said as he gave a little nod and walked over to open the gate. He turned opened it for them as he spoke. "We have strict orders that no one are allowed to leave or enter, of course you are an exception." He looked at them while they passed him.

"It's no problem, good to see that the security is getting stricter." Khara said to make the man relax a little.

"Good." He said as he was about to close the gate, but stopped before it was fully closed. "Oh, one more thing, Thane! You might want to visit Jorrvaskr, they got hit by the silver hand only a few hours ago." He said as he closed the gate and returned to his post.

Khara walked a little faster with Serana right next to her. "Fucking Silverhand and their fantastic timing." She muttered as they walked up the steps that would take them to the Wind District.

Serana's nose caught a scent, _blood_. "Khara…" She said as she looked up at Jorrvaskr.

Khara sniffed and nodded. "I smell it too." She looked at Serana. "It's around the back, let go."

They ran up the steps and around Jorrvaskr, the smell of death was now as strong as ever. They slowed down when they saw all the corpses lying around the training yard. The lowest ranking members were picking up the corpses and throwing them in a pile, probably to burn them. Khara saw that the members had some minor injuries here and there, hopefully no one had gotten any serious ones during the fight.

Aela spotted them and walked over to the pair. "Well met, Khara." She said before looking at Serana. She gave a little smile and a nod, Serana did the same back. "You just missed the fight."

Khara turned her body to Aela while her gaze still roamed the yard. "How the hell did this happen." She asked before looking at the Huntress.

"They climbed the walls, snuck in one by one at the gates, they must have planned this for a little while, it rare that we see them this organized." Aela explained as she looked at some of her fellow members. "Njada, get Eorlund to burn the pile." She said as she pointet to a member, to Njada." The woman nodded and walked up to the Skyforge. Aela sighed as she placed both hands on her hips. "These walls really don't do much, how they haven't been repaired yet is just idiotic." Aela said as she looked down at the bloodstained ground.

"Once this was is over, I'm sure the Jarl will have the resources and the men to improve it." Khara said as her eyes followed the uneven line of the wall. "But I agree, it's been doing a poor job of late."

Aela nodded and gestured to the two to follow her. They walked over to the back doors of Jorrvaskr. "Did we lose anyone?" Khara asked.

Aela froze where she stood before turning around, gaze stuck to the ground. "We did." She said in a low voice as her eyes found blue ones. Khara's eyes searched Aela's. _Who_? She asked with her eyes. Aela swallowed as he sighed. "The Harbinger is gone." Khara's eyes widened. "Kodlak fell during the fight, there were just too many of them."

Khara just stood there, unsure of what to say. She furrowed her brows as she searched for the right words, but Aela spoke once more. "I don't think the Silverhand is to fully blame here." She said.

Khara turned her head a little while still holding Aela's eyes. "Why's that?"

"They weren't alone, they had help. We have one of them down in the basement, he was still breathing last I checked." Aela opened the door for them. "He hasn't said anything, yet." She said as she guided them down some stairs and through another door. They walked down the corridor before entering a room on the right. Aela was just about to open the door, but stopped. She turned to the pair. "Maybe you can get some words out of him before he dies, I think he might have something to do with that, what was it, Lord Harkon?" She then moved to open the door.

In the middle of the room sat a man bent over, tied to a chair. His hair was a mess, his shirt removed and blood was surrounding the chair on the floor below.

"And why do you think that?" Khara asked as she looked at the man. Aela remained silent as she gestures to the man in the room. She kicked his leg to wake the man.

Aela shrugged her shoulder before moving towards the door. "Just a feeling." She said as she stood at the door. Serana and Khara's gaze followed The Huntress as she moved. "He's all yours." Was the last thing she said before leaving the two alone with this stranger. The two shared a look before turning to face the man.

He was waking up, he was already coughing up some blood before he spat it out on the floor. He rose his head with eyes held closed as a wicked grin could be seen under all the blood that was surrounding his mouth. Serana narrowed her eyes at the man.

He opened his eyes and looked at the two new forms standing before him. "Shall we begin?" He asked as his grin only widened. Khara's shoulders dropped a little when she saw his eyes. _Motherfucking vampire_.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara** : Zu'u lokal hi – **I love you**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I'm not sure how to feel about this chapter to be honest, seeing to how 95% of it was in one room, but hopefully the next one will be better. I also might have to slow down with the writing a little bit the next weeks because there isn't long until winter is here and I want to ride my motorcycle some more before I have to put my baby away for the season. _But…_ If it's raining then I'll just continue writing.

I think this is the longest chapter so far and that pretty neat yo. I'm also not sure if I can keep up this silly '' _Ever chapter should have at least 8200 words in it!''_ , But I'll try, I feel like that's a good number for some reason and it have worked this far so…yeah.

I also wanted to thank **Mojoojom** and **Evilregalslola** for your kind words.  
 **Evilregalslola** , I had a shitty day at work and your comment made me smile so thanks for that.

I will write things like this at the end of chapters, when I feel like it, instead of it being at the start, call me weird, I don't care.


	9. Chapter 9

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 9_

 _A beast unleashed_

Serana stood outside the room and looked at Khara. The wolf was leaning her forehead against the wall, clearly frustrated over the whole situation. They had tried to get the damn vampire to talk, to say something, for a while now, but the bastard only sat there with his stupid smile.

"If he doesn't start talking soon, I'm going to fucking roast him, I swear it." Khara said with annoyance in her voice. She turned around and leaned her back against the wall. "Bastard doesn't care for pain, he already knows that he is not leaving here alive." It was true, he had been burned, kicked, punched, nothing. Nothing made him talk, so maybe pain wasn't the way to do it in this case. Serana looked over at the door to the room and got an idea. She returned her gaze back to Khara who saw that little sparkle in Serana's eyes. "What's on your mind?" She asked.

Serana smiled as she walked closer to Khara and leaned her side to the wall so that she was facing Khara. "Perhaps a different approach is in order?" She said with a devilish grin. Khara rose an eyebrow, indicating her to continue. "He isn't as powerful as me when it comes to magic, I can sense it. Maybe I can _persuade_ him to say a few words." Serana said as she held Khara's eyes.

Khara's eyes lit up and a smirk appeared on her lips when she understood what Serana was suggesting. "You want to use vampire's seduction?" She asked. "Does that really work on other vampires?"

"Normally, no. But I'm not your average vampire." Serana said proudly as she rose her nose a little in the air, it made Khara smile.

"Want me to stay here?" Khara asked as she looked over at the door.

"Yes, that would be best, I'll be quick." Serana said as she moved over to the door. Khara quickly moved to place a small kiss on her cheek before walking over to a chair and sitting down. Serana smiled at the gesture for good luck, but she knew that this was something she was rather good at. Khara watched as Serana walked inside the room, before closing the door.

While Khara waited, Vilkas and Farkas spotted her and walked over to her. "Khara." Farkas said with a little nod as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. Vilkas smiled and nodded as well while he sat down in the chair next to Khara.

"Hey." She said as she looked at the two brothers. Her eyes fell to her lap where her hands rested. "How are things up there?" She asked as she pointed with her thumb at the ceiling.

Farkas let out a little, low laugh. "As can be expected, we guess. People are a little shaken that this happened inside the city." He said as he looked at his brother.

Vilkas looked at Khara. "We've already cleaned the mess up. Now all we have to do is prepare a proper farewell to the old man." He said as he leaned back in his seat. He looked over to the door and nodded at it. "Your friend is in there?"

Khara looked at the door. "Yeah, she's getting some information out of him as we speak."

Vilkas nodded. "Do you think she can make it speak? We tried for hours and yet it didn't break."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that. She is very good with words." Khara said as she had to smile a little.

Farkas huffed and looked at the floor. "Most of them do." He looked up at Khara who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He raised his hand defensively. "I meant no disrespect." He explained. Khara removed her gaze from the man and favored the door once more. "How long have she been in there?" He asked.

Khara narrowed her eyes. "For about ten minutes, give or take." She said. Farkas looked at his brother. He was about to say something when the door opened, showing a very pleased Serana.

She looked at the brothers and nodded a greeting to them before looking at Khara. "He's ready to speak now." She said as she closed the door and looked at Khara.

Vilkas and Farkas shared a look before turning their gaze to Serana. "We're sorry." Farkas blurted out, making everyone look at him. He gathered himself and spoke again. "I mean, we wanted to apologize for our behavior last we met." He said as he looked at his brother.

Vilkas nodded and turned his head to Serana. "Our judgment was clouded by grief, even though that is a poor excuse, we're sorry for how we acted towards you." Vilkas said, he was always the better one of the two when it came to speaking or anything that required some intelligence really.

Serana smiled as her eyes darted between the two brothers, who looked a little uncomfortable. _Guess they're not used to this_. She thought. "It's already forgotten." She said with a charming smile as she looked at Khara.

Khara nodded and rose from her seat, she walked inside the room and moved to stand in front of the man, who looked very angry. Serana closed the door and walked past the wolf. Khara turned her head to look at Serana. Serana smiled and moved to stand behind the man, she then patted him on his shoulder before taking a step back.

The man blinked and looked around before he settled his gaze on Khara. When he did, he sighed. "What do you want to know?" He asked with clenched teeth. Khara made a confused face and looked at Serana. _The fuck did you do to him_? She asked with her eyes. Serana only smirked and waved her hand. Khara shook her head before looking back down at the man.

"Why were you here with the Silverhand, why were you working with them?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, we have made their leaders our thralls." He said with a disgusted face. "We figured we could use them to do some of the dirty work. They would get the blame and so on, making it easier for us to move around and operate." He explained as he tried to wiggle out of the ropes. He hissed. "Stop it!" He said as he turned his head to look at the woman behind him.

"You were the only vampire here, why?" He clenched his eyes shut, it looked like he was having a conversation with himself.

"My fellow vampires are currently on their way to that monastery on the mountain." Khara's eyes widened at his words. He opened his eyes and grinned at Khara. "We know where you hid your precious priest, _dog_." He spat. Serana cleared her throat and the man's shivered in his seat at the sound.

" _Behave._ " Serana said in a low, hard voice.

He hissed again. "Your friends up there are already dead! We will complete the prophecy for our Lord!"

Khara looked at Serana. "We have what we need." She said and Serana nodded. They walked over to the door and opened it, revealing two very angry looking men. They walked past the brothers, who's eyes were stuck on the vampire. "We got what we needed." Khara said as she looked at the two men. "He's all yours, knock yourselves out." The brothers didn't say anything, they only walked into the room and closed the door behind them.

Khara and Serana walked out of Jorrvaskr, fast. They needed to get to High Hrothgar, they needed to see if what the vampire had said was true. They ran up the steps that would take them to Dragonsreach. They entered and ran through the main room, making the Jarl and his Housecarl give them a weird look.

"We need to borrow your porch!" Khara yelled as they ran past them. She managed to catch Balgruuf give her a nod before they were out of the room.

They opened the doors and ran for the opening. Khara looked up in the skies and inhaled. "OD AH VIING!" She shouted and her eyes search the skies for her ally. _Please, please come_ , she begged. The seconds felt like hours. She was about to shout again, but she was interrupted when Serana spoke.

"Looks like we're in luck, Khara." Serana spoke as she raised a hand to protect her eyes from the sun. She then pointed to the north. "Here he comes." She said with a smile, she recognized Odahviing by his unique color.

The dragon slowed down when he got closer and spoke as he landed. "Out of all the places you could summon me from, you chose this place." He said with a sigh. "I don't need to be reminded of that day, Khara, my brothers mock me enough as it is."

Khara moved over to him. "You need to take us to High Hrothgar, now." She said with a serious voice. He's eyes widened as he quickly bowed his head so that they could get on. They mounted him fast and told him to fly, and so he did.

"What awaits us at the Monastery?" Odahviing asked as his wings carried them higher in the air.

"Hopefully nothing, but there is a chance that it's under attack." Khara said as she held on to his spikes. May the Gods be watching over her friends, one could only pray that they were unharmed.

* * *

Odahviing landed in the courtyard and lowered his head. "Anything I can assist with?" He asked.

Khara nodded. "Fly above, brother. No one are to leave." She said and Odahviing wasted no time, with a flap of his wings he was airborne. Khara and Serana ran over to the doors of High Hrothgar and opened them, their eyes needed only a moment to adjust to their new surroundings. They stood still for a moment, listening.

"I said get back! One more move and the priest gets it!" A deep male voice roared throughout the halls. Serana and Khara moved closer to the voices and could see a total of five vampires, one of them was holding Dexion hostage.

The Greybeards were standing next to each other, forming a line. While three vampires faced them, the one with Dexion were behind them and behind him again was the last one, ready to open the door for his friends. Khara saw that Master Arngeir turned his head the slightest towards her, he knew she was here, all the Greybeards could sense her presence. _They might attack the Greybeards and harm Dexion, there isn't time to move over to them_ , _they'll spot us_. Khara said in her head. _Then make time_. Her wolf aspect whispered. Khara got the idea and moved a little as she closed her eyes and inhaled.

"TIID KLO UL!" Time slowed down, it stopped almost.

The Greybeards changed their stance and filled their lungs with air as they were unaffected by the Dragonborn's shout. "IZZ SLEN NUS!" They shouted in unison at the three vampires that stood in front of them, freezing them completely. The two remaining vampire's eyes widened at the sight, it had all happed so fast, instant almost, they were unsure of what to do. One could think that the they too had been hit by the Ice shout as they stood still, not moving a muscle.

Khara moved down the steps and walked to stand in front of the Graybeards. "Enough of this, you're outnumbered, let the man go. "She said as she took another step towards the one holding Dexion.

The vampire standing by the door looked beyond shocked, his eyes roamed the room before he made up his mind. "You're on your own, Jorhen!" He shouted turned around and opened the door "I will not die this day!" He ran down the stairs. A huge shadow swallowed his form before a shout could be heard. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" The fire hit the vampire and made him fall to the ground, all the snow around him had smelted away from the heat of the fire, all there was left of the vampire was burning corpse.

Serana walked up to stand next to Khara, making it so that the last vampire looked at her. "You're surrounded, let the man go." She said in a calm voice.

The vampire's eyes roamed the room, trying desperately to find an escape route. His jaw clenched and his brows furrowed when he realized that he was indeed trapped. He looked at the man that he held and made his decision, he then looked at the others in the room. "If he won't read for us then he certainly won't read for you." He said with clenched teeth as he raised a dagger to the priest's throat.

Khara and Serana's eyes widened, Serana raised an arm and casted a frost bolt at the man, knocking the dagger out of his hands while Khara ran towards the vampire. He hissed as he looked at Serana, before raising his slightly damaged hand to cover Dexion's eyes and summoned fire in it.

Dexion's hands flew up to the vampire's hand. "Aghh!" he let out a painful scream. The priest twisted and turned in the vampire's hold before Khara tackled the vampire to the ground. Dexion fell to his knees, his hands covering his burned eyes while Khara punched the vampire's face with all her strength, breaking his nose.

" _Bitch_!" He hissed before Khara quickly grabbed Nettlebane from the back of her belt and stabbed the vampire in the chest one time before doing it again, placing the dagger in his heart the second time.

Serana ran over to Dexion and removed his hands from his eyes. She placed her hand over them and carefully summoned some frost, not enough to hurt him, but just enough to ease the pain. The Graybeards moved over to the priest as did Khara after pulling out her dagger.

Khara moved over to Dexion and knelt down to help the man sit straight. She shared a worried look with Serana before turning her eyes back at the man. Serana removed her hand from the man's eyes and sighed.

Khara gulped and moved a little from where she was. "Dexion?" She asked with a low voice.

The man moved a hand in front of his eyes before closing them and bowing his head as he let out a little sight of his own. "I'm afraid I can't read your Scrolls." He shook his head. "Potion nor healer can fix blindness, I am so terribly sorry." He said.

Khara nodded and patted his back in understanding. "Come on." She said as she stood up and grabbed his arm. "Let's get you some bandages and water, it'll help soothe the pain." She said with a sad smile as she and Serana helped him stand.

Arngeir and Borri walked up to them. "Please, let us. I'm sure you two have a lot to think about now." He said as he held Dexion's arm.

Khara nodded and Serana moved to stand next to her. "Thank you." Serana said as she looked at Khara, the wolf's eyes held worry in them. The Greybeards walked Dexion over to their bedchambers, leaving the two women alone. Khara moved over to the stairs and sat down, her arms holding her head up as she closed her eyes.

Serana sat down next to her and placed a hand on her wolf's thigh as she pressed her side to Khara's. The wolf moved her head from her arms in order to rest it on Serana's shoulder. Serana turned her head and rested her cheek against the wolf's head. "We'll figure something out." Serana whispered.

They sat there for a while, in a comfortable silence as they both thought of other ways of getting the information needed from the Scrolls.

"There is something we can do, but I'm not sure if it will work." Khara said as she opened her eyes. "I've read one Scroll before, and with the exception of a headache, it went well." Serana furrowed her brows a little, of course her wolf had read a Scroll before. "Maybe with Dexion's help I can do it again." She said.

"He may know of something that will make it safer, yes." Serana said. "It's worth a shot." She squeezed Khara's thigh. "But are you sure though? Reading Scrolls can create a few problems to say the least." She asked the wolf.

Khara nodded again. "Yeah, I'm sure and it's not like we have a lot of choice, the more we sit around the more time Harkon have to figure it out by himself, we've already seen how many people he has in his grip. Scroll or no Scroll, with that many people, he'll find some more information about this prophecy at some point. And we both know what he is willing to do in order to get it." Khara moved her head and stood up. "Let's go and see what Dexion knows." She said as she offered Serana a hand. Serana took ahold of the offered hand and stood up.

They made their way over to the bedchambers and spotted Dexion sitting in a chair with bandages wrapped around his eyes. Khara felt a sick feeling in her stomach at the sight, to some degree, this was her fault and it made her release a low growl. Serana grabbed the wolf's hand and pulled her a little closer as they walked. "Don't you dare blame yourself." She whispered. "This was my father's doing, not yours." Khara only nodded in response.

Dexion straightened in his seat when he heard footsteps. "Did they give you something for the pain?" Khara asked as she stood in front of the priest.

"Oh, yes. I barely feel a thing, thank you." He said with a smile. Both women had to smile at him because how could he be this cheerful after getting fricking blind. He then sighed a little as he shook his head. "I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to read the Scrolls, I'd imagine that you are too." He said.

"We actually wanted to talk to you about that, reading the Scrolls that is. I've read one before so, could I do it again?" Khara asked.

Dexion leaned back in his seat. "Maybe…" He turned his head as he was lost in thoughts. "I can't promise you that it won't be dangerous, reading Scrolls is a complicated thing as I'm sure you know. Death is the least of your problems when they hold the power to bend reality." His words really didn't offer any comfort, but at least he was honest.

"We don't expect you to." Khara said with a low voice, she knew what could happen.

"There is something called Ancestor Glades, they are old, sacred grottos and caves. They can be found all over Tamriel. You see, long ago Moth priest used these glades to read Scrolls or just do rituals that would prepare us to read them." Dexion explained. "Inside these glades there is also a tree in these caves, Canticle trees as well as moths. Magical moths of all things." Dexion chuckled, _magical moths? Really?_ Khara and Serana both smiled. "Anyways these moths offer some sort of protection for Scroll reading, a magical barrier of sorts."

This was good news, very good news. "This is good, do you know of the location of a glade within Skyrim?" Khara asked.

"All I know is that there is one somewhere in Falkreath Hold, somewhere along the mountain range there, the Jerall Mountains." He said. "The ritual is quite simple really, you take some bark from the tree and get the moths to follow you, when there is enough of them around you then a light will appear, indicating that you can start reading. Just, if you go there, please be careful and think about it. Nothing is without risk when it comes to Elder Scrolls." He warned.

"Thank you Dexion, we'll be careful with the Scrolls, we promise." Khara said as she patted his knee.

"Good, then I guess the only thing I can do is wish you two a safe journey." He said with a smile.

Khara and Serana left the man to his much-needed rest and walked over to the main room where they met with Master Arngeir. "We will keep watch over Dexion. Now that there might be people out there who knows of his location, we will close the monastery for a while, he'll be safe here." He said.

"Alright, we're off to get this Scroll reading out of the way, stay safe Master Arngeir." Khara said as she and Serana walked over to the main doors of High Hrothgar and stepped outside. They spotted Odahviing standing near a pile of ash, the dragon looked at the ash before turning his gaze to the two women.

"I was told not to let anyone leave, I hope this is what you meant by your words?" He said a little uncertain.

Khara smiled at the dragon. "Geh zeymah, this is what I meant." She said with a chuckle.

"Kul, now then, what's next? I can see that look in your eyes, briinah." Odahviing said with excitement in his voice as he took a step closer to the two. "You need my wings?" He asked as he lowered his head and brought it closer to the pair.

"Yes, we need to fetch the Scrolls at the top of the mountain first." Khara said as she and Serana moved over to his neck. He helped them on and flew to the top. They landed and Khara jumped off and jogged over to the word wall where the Grand Master waited.

Paarthurnax spotted them and bowed his head to greet them. "You are here to get the Scrolls?" He asked from where he sat on the old word wall.

"Geh, it is time to read them." Khara said as she unlocked the chest.

Serana jumped off Odahviing's neck and stood next to the dragon's head. "Something on your mind, Serana?" He asked.

She turned her head and looked at him with a smile. "Just a little worried about the Scrolls, or that she is going to read them." She said as she turned her head back to Khara.

"Geh, I share your concern, but know that Khara holds great power within her soul, if anyone can read them and remain unharmed, it is her." He said with his deep voice.

Khara walked back to them with the two Scrolls over her shoulders. "You two ready?" She asked. Serana nodded and offered to carry one Scroll, Khara smiled and gave her one.

"My wings are yours, sister." Odahviing responded as he lowered his head so that it was close to Serana. Serana smiled and brought a hand up to his snout as Khara spoke. "Thank you, we have to locate a cave in Falkreath. Can you take us to Pinewatch?" She asked while looking at the two with a smile.

Odahviing kept his eyes on Serana as the vampire caressed his snout. "Geh, the house close to the manor?" He asked, eyes still glued on the vampire.

"That's the one." Khara said as she moved over to the dragon's neck. Odahviing lowered himself as his eyes followed Serana as she moved over to Khara.

"Zu'u med ek, briinah." His said in his native tongue.

"Zu'u dreh ol pruzah." Khara responded as she helped Serana up.

Serana narrowed her eyes on the two as she settled down. "What are you too talking about?" She asked.

"Just how much Odahviing likes you." Khara responded as she patted the dragon on his neck. The dragon huffed as he stretched out his huge wings.

"I could always let you walk, sister. Maybe I and Lady Serana can fly there ourselves." The dragon responded as he walked over to the edge of the mountain. Serana laughed at his response.

"No, I'm sorry." Khara laughed out. "Please let me fly with you, Great Hunter!" She praised and begged all in good humor.

Odahviing let out a deep laugher of his own. "Rek wahl hi dreh med hin wuth zii." He said happily.

Khara smiled and felt a hand on her waist, she placed her own hand over it and squeezed. "Rek los fin gein wo nahkip dii yolos."

Odahviing smiled as he looked at the view before them. He inhaled and exhaled before jumping off the mountain, with his wings close to his body he glided through the air with great speed. Khara laughed at his playfulness and Serana too had to smile at the dragon's actions. He stretched out his wings and adjusted them so that they flew right above the river, the very same river that ran through Riverwood. They followed it up and in only a matter of minutes, they spotted Lakeview Manor and then the little house that was Pinewatch.

Odahviing slowed down and placed himself over the house before moving behind it and landing. He helped the two women down from his neck and looked at them. "I will stay close if you need me." He said as he flew up into the skies. Khara watch as he disappeared behind some clouds.

She turned her gaze to the south. "Right, let's find this cave then, shall we?" She asked as she walked over to Serana.

"Yes, lets." Serana said as she moved to walk alongside Khara. Khara took out her map and looked at where they could start their search for this glade, just west of Helgen seemed like a good place to start.

* * *

"Dexion said that it had been years since they last used these glades, right?" Serana asked as she sat down on a fallen tree. They had been searching for a few hours now and they still haven't managed to find the entrance to the glade. They were now right next to an old shack that looked like it had been hit by a dragon or a pretty damn skilled fire mage a while ago. "Maybe the entrance is hidden with vegetation?" It was possible, maybe mother nature had reclaimed its entrance, hiding it from the rest of the world.

"Yeah, I see your point. I just hope that you're wrong." Khara chuckled as she sat down next to the vampire.

"You and me both." Serana said with a smile. They sat and talked for a little while before a little rabbit made its way close to them with a stick in its mouth.

"That's kind of cute." Serana said as she nodded to the rabbit. Khara turned her gaze and spotted the little ball of fur. She stood up from the ground and sat down a few feet away from the little creature. She grabbed some grass and held it out to the rabbit. Serana snorted. "You plan on making it your friend?" She asked amused.

"More like making it my dinner." She said back with a smile. The rabbit spotted the delicious grass in the hand of the creature before it and dropped its stick as it moved closer to Khara. "That's it, come and get it." Khara whispered as she wiggled her hand a little, it was so close to her right now, she could almost grab it. "Take it, you stu-." _Swoosh_. An arrow flew towards them, placing itself in the rabbit's eye, killing it. "Holy mother of fucking fuck!" Khara yelled as she jumped back. Serana's eyes widened and she grabbed her dagger and summoned a fire spell. Khara looked at the rabbit, at the arrow in the rabbit and she almost couldn't believe what she saw. _Are you freaking serious?_ She thought. "Angi?" She asked as she looked around, she gestured to Serana to remove the spell and dagger.

They heard laughter come from behind a tree before a woman in leather gear appeared from behind it, bow in hand. She smiled at the two and put her bow on her back. "I'm sorry, but I had to do that." She said as she walked over to Khara. "It's good to see you again." Angi said as she raised her hand and shook Khara's.

Khara smiled as she turned to Serana. "Angi this is Serana, Serana this is the best damn archer in all of Skyrim." Serana walked over to the two and shook Angi's hand as well.

"Good to meet you." Angi said as she smiled at Serana.

"Likewise, especially after you managed to spook Khara like that." Serana said with a chuckle and Angi joined in.

"Glad it was entertaining." Angi said as she turned to look at Khara. "What brings you two to Falkreath then? Another heroic quest?" She asked amused.

Khara bent down and picked up the rabbit before throwing it to Angi. "Something like that, we're looking for a cave somewhere along the mountains." Khara said as her eyes roamed the area around them.

"Well there aren't many caves around these parts, you have Greywater Grotto to the east, Bonechill Passage to the south, and that glade to the south-west." Angi said as she removed the arrow out of the rabbit.

Both Khara and Serana looked at Angi at this point. "Where is this glade?" Serana asked.

Angi put the arrow away and looked to the west. "About an hour to the west." She said as she turned to Khara. "Do you remember where my camp is?" She asked Khara, who nodded. "Good, it's on the path up there, I'm actually headed that way." She said as she tied the rabbit to her belt before looking up at the two. "Want a guide?" She asked with a smile.

Khara nodded with a smile. "We would like that, thanks."

"Alright then, but how about we cook this guy first?" She said as she gestured to the rabbit on her belt. Khara nodded and smiled again. "Alright, there's a campfire on the other side of this shack." She said and gestured to Khara and Serana to follow her. They spotted the campfire and saw that there was already firewood in it.

"Did we just show up before you were about to light a fire?" Khara asked as they sat down on the logs that surrounded the campfire. There was also a skinned rabbit on one of the logs.

"Aye, that I was. You two have good timing." Angi answered as she skinned the rabbit that was on her belt. "Can you fix some fire with one of your magic things." She said.

Khara snorted and looked at Serana, she gestured to the firewood with a charming smile. Serana winked and summoned fire in her hand before walking over and sitting down next to the firewood. She held her hand close to it and it caught fire in only a matter of seconds. She then moved to sit next to Khara. "You got a couple of lose straps there." Serana said as she gestured to Khara's shoulder. Khara turned her back to Serana so that she could fix it. Serana worked on them while Angi moved the rabbits over to the fire.

"So, why are you two looking for this glade then?" She asked as she cooked their food.

"We're going to read some Scrolls, apparently if we do a little ritual there it will provide some protection from the them." Khara explained.

Angi looked at the two and huffed. "I've never liked those Scrolls, never really liked anything magical to be honest." She said as she shook her head. "People always end up hurt or worse, but then again, that happens with most things, eh?" Both women could hear the pain in her voice at that last sentence. When Khara first met Angi she learned of what had happened to the woman. A pair of drunken Imperial soldiers had killed her parents over a few coins. Angi had spent years tracking the men down and when she finally found them, she revenged her parents. Due to Skyrim being under Imperial control at the time, Angi is currently a wanted criminal of the Imperial legion. But the woman only handed out justice in Khara's eyes, she would never turn her in or betray her trust.

"So, what is it this time then? The dragons are dealt with so, who is the enemy?" Angi asked as she turned the rabbits around.

"My father." Serana asked. "He happens to think that vampires should rule all mortals. Obviously, that isn't a very good idea." She said with a little humor in hope to make Angi a little more cheerful.

Angi's eyes found Serana's. "You're a vampire?" She asked.

Serana looked at the woman before turning her gaze back to the last lose trap. "Yeah, I am." She said with a little smile. Khara watched Angi, she was worried that the woman had some hatred towards vampires.

"That's not a problem, is it?" Khara asked the hunter.

"Oh, no. Of course not, it's just that I've never met a vampire before." Angi said as she turned her attention back at the now finished food. She grabbed one of the rabbits and walked over to hand it to Khara. As she handed it over to Khara she looked at Serana. "I guess that means more food for us, huh?" She said amused while nudging Khara's foot with her own. Khara and Serana chuckled at the hunter's humor.

Khara moved to sit straight before leaning closer to Serana. "Are you hungry?" She whispered while Angi walked over to another log. Not much time had passed since Serana last had some blood, but Khara still wanted to let Serana know that if she needed some, Khara would provide for her.

Serana smiled. "No, I'm fine." She said as she patted Khara's thigh. "But thank you." She whispered back.

Khara moved to sit on the ground in front of the log and leaned her back against it as she threw one leg over the other. Might as well get comfortable, right? She used her dagger to rip off some meat before bringing it to her mouth.

Angi looked to the skies and saw that is was starting to get a little dark, the sun was setting. She nodded to the skies above before looking at Khara. "It's going to be a full moon tonight." She said as she ate some meat as well. "But you can feel it, can't you?" She asked.

Khara nodded as her eyes roamed the skies above, the color was that of a beautiful orange. "Yeah, my aspect is excited to say the least." She said with a chuckle. She then remembered that Serana might not know what they're talking about. She moved a little where she sat and looked at Serana. "Full moons make wolf forms more powerful." She explained. "Almost like when the sun settles for you, you feel more powerful at night." She said as she looked into orange eyes.

Serana looked back at Khara with a smile on her lips. The way Khara was looking at her made her feel things she didn't believe was possible to feel, but yet here she was, feeling it. Serana's eyes quickly moved over to Angi, who was busy writing something down in a journal it looked like. Her eyes returned back to Khara's, her wolf was still looking at her with that special look. Serana bit her lip as she got lost in blue, faint glowing eyes. Khara's eyes fell down to her lips, the wolf gulped at the sight. _You really do have a thing for fangs, don't you?_ Serana thought amused. She chuckled as she shook her head and moved a hand to Khara's shoulder and pushed it slightly. "Eat your food, Khara." She said in a low voice.

Khara let out a little growl, but did as she was told. Angi looked over at Khara because of the growl. "Just the full moon, you know." She said as she waved her hand a little. Angi smiled and nodded before looking back down at her journal. Serana snorted. "Shut up." Khara whispered with a smile. Serana's smile only grew.

* * *

Angi put away her journal and looked up at the skies, it was now dark. She turned her gaze to the two women opposite her. They were sitting close to each other and looking down at the map, it looked like Khara was showing Serana some locations or such. "You two ready to head out?" Angi asked.

Serana raised her head and looked at Angi. "Yeah, let's get going." She said as she rose before turning to help Khara up.

Angi smiled and walked over to the fire and put it out. "Good, it shouldn't take us long to get there." And with that, they headed out.

* * *

"I don't even think that we would have spotted it ourselves." Khara said as she looked at the cave entrance. It was true, the whole entrance was hidden by a fallen tree, some bushes and a few other plants.

"Yeah, I found it a few years ago. It's beautiful inside." Angi said as she looked behind them.

"Well thanks, Angi. I don't think we would have found it without you." Khara said as she smiled at the woman.

"It's no problem." She said as she looked up at the skies. "I better head back to camp, you two take care, alright?" She said as she looked at the two and put a hand on her belt.

"Aye, that we will. Stay safe." Khara said as Angi smiled at them and nodded before leaving the two.

Khara turned back to look at the entrance, then to Serana. "You ready for this?" She asked in a low voice.

Serana looked at the entrance herself and let out a breath before nodding. "Yeah." She said as she looked over at Khara. "Let's read some Scrolls." Khara nodded and led them into the cave.

It was dark, it was wet and it was overgrown, that's how this cave was. They walked further into it and saw that they needed to cross a fallen tree in order to continue. Khara check if the log was able to carry her weight, just in case. She placed herself on top of it and jumped a few times before shrugging her shoulders. "All good." She mumbled, mostly to herself, but Serana heard and the vampire smiled.

"It's not really impressive, is it?" The cave was boring, gray and just not all that pleasing to the eye.

"No, not really, if this is Angi's understanding of the word 'beautiful' then I need to have a little chat with her." Khara said as she followed a very ill-used path. Serana followed her and saw an opening, she could see the light rays from the moon. _Interesting_.

"I think this might be it, Khara. Look." She said as she pointed to the opening. Khara looked over and saw what Serana was talking about.

They walked over there and there was indeed an opening. This is what they had been looking for and it was just as Angi had described it, beautiful. With the light of the moon shining through the few openings in the cave roof, it enhanced its beauty. There were green trees, colorful flowers and little light-pink moths flying around. Down in the middle of the opening there was a tree, it too was breathtaking, with the moonlight shining directly at it, it made it look like it was magical, and who knew? Maybe it was.

There were some stone pillars around the tree, and next to the tree there was this odd shaped stone. There was a hole in it so that you could see through it, but that wasn't really the thing that caught Khara's eyes. There was something floating in the middle of it, some sort of tool perhaps.

She was about to walk down to investigate when she was pulled back by Serana. She turned and looked at Serana, who held a finger to her lips. _Be quiet, got it_. Khara nodded and followed the vampire's lead. Her eyes roamed the area, but couldn't see anything that would cause Serana to act like this. So, she closed her eyes and let her ears do their work.

"This is getting ridiculous, how long do they expect us to wait for them?" A female voice said, clearly annoyed.

"I don't know, but Jorhen said that it would take a little while to get here." Another voice said, this one a male. "And you must remember, with the priest it might take a little longer, they'll probably be here soon."

Khara opened her eyes and saw six vampires walking towards the middle of the room, her eyes widened. Not because of the vampires, but of what one of them had wrapped around his back. _That's another Scroll!_ She looked over at Serana who's eyes mirrored Khara's.

"Is that your father's Scroll?" Khara whispered as her eyes were locked on the vampires.

"I think it is, he must have expected that his servants could catch Dexion. He must be getting desperate for doing something as bold as this." Serana's eyes looked at the vampires, she remembered seeing some of them at the castle. "We have to be careful, these are more powerful than the ones that we met at High Hrothgar." Serana did however have an idea, she turned to Khara and shared it. "If I summon a wall of fire around them, making it so they don't spread out, do you think you can handle them?" She asked. "Wolf style?" She added.

Khara's eyes lit up. "I think that would work very well, with the full moon out and all." She said as she looked back down at the vampires. "This shouldn't be too difficult." Khara answered with a little devilish smirk as dark mist appeared at her feet. A moment later and a white werewolf stood on all fours next to Serana. Khara was bigger this time, and the look in her eyes were more intense than ever.

The wolf climbed down the side of the path they were on and followed a little stream up that would bring her close to the vampires. Serana crept down the path she was already on and hid behind a stone pillar and she prepared herself to use her magica. The vampires were so busy talking that they didn't smell or hear the two women that was creeping up on them. Serana gave her wolf a few more moments before she summoned fire in her hands and jumped out from behind the pillar and faced the vampires.

They all turned to her and drew their weapons, but their vision was blocked when a wall of fire appeared all around them. Some of them hissed while others threw out a few curses. And if things couldn't get worse for them, a howl could be heard from behind. They turned around towards the sound only to spot a huge, white, angry looking werewolf jumping through the flames and heading straight for them. They tried to spread out, but due to the flames around them, it proved to be difficult. Khara went on all four as she attacked the closest vampire, she dodges its frost bolt and grabbed its hand with her teeth.

The vampire hissed as he tried to reclaim his arm. "Get this dog off me!" He screamed.

At the same time, another vampire charged towards the white wolf with his axe held high. Khara saw him and brought her hand up in the air fast, grabbing his axe before any damage could be done. She jerked her head and ripped off the arm that she had in her mouth as she jumped to the side to avoid another attack. The vampire that now only had one arm fell to the ground, he would bleed out in only a matter of seconds. Khara threw away the axe in her hand and swiped her claws at the vampire who she had just disarmed, cutting his throat.

A vampire with a bow aimed it at the wolf and managed to hit Khara with an arrow, it made him smile at his success. "Hah!" He cheered, but that smile soon faded when he was met with blue, burning eyes.

Khara ran towards the archer at an incredible speed and with a claw, she knocked out all the air that the vampire had in his lungs. She grabbed a handful of arrows from the vampire's quiver and planted them in his gut before running away. She looked at the remaining three vampires and growled as she circled them, with an arrow in her back she couldn't move as fast, she needed to make all the right moves and decisions in order to be the last one standing.

Serana could see through the flames that only a few remained so she took a step closer and pushed her hands forwards with all her might as if there was an invisible barrier there, making the circle of fire smaller. Sweat was forming on her forehead and she was getting a little lightheaded due to all the magica required to hold this spell up and running. Even with the ring that Khara had given her it was proving to be quite the challenge, but she was a Nord, stubbornness was in her blood. She focused her power and energy at the flames in front of her, they would not fall, not on her watch. With a twist of her hand, flames lashed out on the vampires, forcing them to move closer to her wolf.

The three vampires shared a look among themselves before preparing an attack on the wolf, one moved to the right, another to the left as the last one remained in the middle. The middle vampire summoned a spell and as he rose his hand in the air, two of the dead vampires stood up from the cold cave floor. Khara watch and growled at their advances.

With the taste of blood in her mouth and the pain of the arrow on her back, she gave all control to her aspect. Her body shook, her eyes widened as she let out a deep, terrifying growl. _Finally, I am released!_ Her wolf howled in joy. _Kill them all_ , Khara whispered to her wolf aspect. The wolf stood up on two legs and breathed heavily as he locked eyes with his first foe. _With pleasure_ , it mused.

The wolf howled as it ran towards its pray. The vampire's eyes only widened as the white wolf got closer, before he could think any more of it, his time was up. The wolf plunged its claws into his chest and it grabbed his shoulder with another hand. The vampire dropped his weapon as tears appeared in his eyes and as blood made its way out of his mouth. The wolf howled as it lifted the man up in the air and threw him over at one of the risen vampires.

It jumped out of the way of a spell and landed on all fours. A vampire came up from behind and was about to place his sword in the wolf's spine, when a fire bolt hit him. Serana was not letting him harm her wolf. The vampire hissed as he staggered back before something sharp grabbed his leg, next thing he is lying on the ground, with the wolf's teeth around his leg. _Crush him,_ Khara whispered. The wolf removed its teeth and grabbed his leg with a hand before pulling him closer. It brought both hands up in the air before slamming them against the vampire's chest, making every bone shatter at impact. _Now the spell caster, move,_ she told her aspect again. The wolf left the dying man and ran over to the spell caster, killing one of the risen vampires on the way with a simple swipe of its claw.

The last _alive_ vampire summoned an ice spell in one hand and held a dagger in the other. The frost spell hit the wolf in the middle of it's chest, but due to the amount of adrenalin that was currently being pumped throughout its body, it hardly noticed it. The wolf growled as it hit the vampire's legs with a swift move of its claw. The wolf towered over him as it lowered itself to all four, standing right above him. He saw blue-burning eyes roam his face as blood dripped down on him. His eyes widened more when the wolf's head moved a little back.

"No! Don't!" He begged. _Silence him,_ Khara commanded and the wolf knew what she meant. Its eyes went down to an exposed throat. It opened its mouth and its teeth found cold flesh, blood was flowing into the wolf's mouth. _Nasty taste_ , the wolf growled. The vampire died and with it, it's last risen vampire. The wolf stood up from the corpse and took a step back. The flame barrier vanished as a form appeared.

The wolf turned to the woman walking towards it and inhaled. _Mate_? it asked. _Yes_ , Khara responded.

Serana walked up to the wolf, her wolf. There was something a little different about those blue eyes. _You take control now?_ It asked. _Yes, give it to me_ , Khara said. The wolf closed its eyes and shook its head a little. When it opened it eyes again it held those eyes that Serana adored. Serana looked into blue eyes and smiled. "I'd say that went rather well." She said a little out of breath.

Khara closed her eyes as the mist returned at her feet and swallowed her whole. When it disappeared, Khara stood in the wolf's place, slightly bent over as she too was catching her breath. "Agreed." She said with a light chuckle. Serana moved to look at Khara's back. "Don't worry about the arrow wound, its already healed." She said with a smile.

"Good, you had me worried there for a moment." The vampire responded before looking over at one of the dead vampires. She walked over to the corpse and picked up what was on his back. She removed the leather that was around the item and held it in her hands. She turned back to Khara. "Ready to do some reading?"

Khara nodded and walked over to the middle of the room. She walked up to the stone sculpture and grabbed the item that was floating in the middle of it. It was a knife of sorts, it was probably what she needed to use on the tree in order to get some bark. She walked over to the tree and looked down in her hand at the knife. _Alright, let's do this_.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara** : Geh zeymah – **Yes brother**

 **Odahviing:** Briinah – **Sister**

Zu'u med ek, briinah – **I like her, sister.**

 **Khara:** Zu'u dreh ol pruzah – **I do as well.**

 **Odahviing:** Rek wahl hi dreh med hin wuth zii – **She makes you act like your old self.**

 **Khara:** Rek los fin gein wo nahkip dii yolos – **She is the one who feeds my flame.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I didn't really get the feel that much happened in this chapter, but oh well. You guys met Angi, she is a cool character in my opinion, not many people know about her so I thought I might get her into the story because her camp is very close to the Glade.

I'm not that pleased with the combat in this chapter, I will try to put more focus in it as well as getting Serana more involved, I just find it hard to write battles with magic :c

I think that the next chapter will be better, as there will be more traveling and interaction with new characters, I might also add one of my own characters in chapter 10, we'll see.

Thank you **Lammen Gorthaur** for your kind words :3

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	10. Chapter 10

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 10_

 _A taste of devouring rush_

She is the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn. Leader of the infamous Thieves Guild and Archmage of the Collage of Winterhold, Thane in five holds, Nightingale, Slayer of the World Eater, Vanquisher of all evil, Savior of the people. She is…Currently surrounded by little pink moths.

" _Pah._ " Khara spat as a moth came a little too close to her mouth. She moved her head to the side in an attempt to get the damn moths out of her face, but it was no use. _I fucking hate you_ , she said in her mind as she glared a moth that landed on her nose. Khara's eyes turned to the side when she heard angelic laughter, it made her forget all about the little pink insects that was flying around her.

"Oh, they seem quite taken to you now that you're carrying some of the tree bark." Serana said amused as she smiled at Khara. Oh, how she wished that she could draw at point. This memory is one she would never forget, never. Seeing Khara like this, losing to some pink little moths was quite the sight.

"Damn moths, how many do we need?" Khara asked with a desperate voice. "I can't take this for much longer." She whined as she waved her hand in front of her, damn things liked her face alright.

"I don't think we need much more, unless my vison is playing tricks, there seems to be some sort of magical effect around you, this might be what Dexion mentioned." Serana said as her eyes roamed Khara's form.

"Alright, let's get back to the tree, I think there was some more moths over there." Khara started to walk over to the middle of the cave with little minions following her every step. Serana snorted at the sight, the moths were acting like Khara's shadow at this point. The wolf only groaned in annoyance as they walked over to the middle. There was another swarm of moths there and in the second Khara got close, they flew towards her and joined their fellow moths as they too flew around the wolf's head.

The moths stopped moving around for a moment and in that moment a light appeared right next to them, to the side of the tree. Khara's eyes met Serana's. "I think this is what we were waiting for." Serana said.

"I think you're right." Khara moved over to stand in the light, the moth being a little more respectable when it came to personal space this time. Serana placed the Scrolls at Khara's feet as Khara got her own Scroll off her back and held in in her hands. She let out a little sigh. "Okey." She said. She looked up and met orange eyes. _What if?_ She asked herself, they didn't know what would happen during or after she had read the Scrolls, there was no way to tell what would happen.

"Nervous?" Serana asked with an understanding look in her eyes and a small smile at her lips.

Khara's eyes looked deeply into Serana's. She then took a step closer to the vampire and nodded as brought her lips up against cool ones. She closed her eyes an inhaled the woman's scent. Serana's eyes were to forced shut as he brought a hand up to Khara's cheek. The kiss was sweet and loving, it made them both feel that amazing electric feeling travel though their bodies. Khara broke the kiss and placed on more on Serana's cheek before taking a few steps back as she bit her lower lip. _Please let me do that again_ , she begged to anyone who would listen.

She brought the Scroll up in her hands and just before she was about to start reading she looked at Serana one last time. "Zu'u lokal hi." She said in a low voice. Serana's eyes started back at her. "I love you." She said with as much emotion as possible and Serana's eyes widened as Khara moved her eyes down to the Scroll in her hands. She then read the first letter and a bright light appeared, swallowing everything in the cave, the only thing she could see was the Scroll and its letters. She could hear a faint whisper.

 _With the power of old that you behold, the secrets of the Scrolls shall now be yours._

 _With the blood of a daughter and the bow of a god, the eye of the dragon will be gone for all._

 _To the Reach your eyes must seek a cave of old, forgotten to most, but not to all._

 _In the lost and hidden cave, you shall be guided by a mer of ice._

 _He will guide you path ahead, follow his words to the gates._

 _Walk inside the temple of old and Auriel's bow shall at last be yours._

The voice faded away as it repeated the last sentence over and over again in Khara's mind. Her eyes widened as she felt all the air in her lungs disappear and darkness clouded her vision as she fell to the ground. The only thing she felt before she drifted into unconsciousness was the wet ground beneath her and a hand on her cheek.

* * *

 _Wake up damnit,_ Serana looked at the woman lying in her arms. _This is Riften all over again_ , she said in her mind. _What if she…_ "No." She mumbled to herself as her grip on her wolf tightened. Khara was going to wake up, she had to. Serana could hear the wolf's heartbeat and the intake of air, Khara's body sounded fine, but who knew what the Scrolls had done to her. Serana was worried, to say the least. After Khara's little confession, her skin tone had turned to a sickly pale one and only a second after that, the wolf had fallen to the ground, unconscious.

And that is what happened, Khara still hadn't woken up. It had maybe been twenty, thirty minutes now? But for Serana I felt like hours and for very minute that passed another though of worry invaded the vampire's mind. Serana brought a hand up to Khara's cheek and caressed it while her eyes roamed the cave. The entrance might be hidden, but she was worried that somehow someone or something might find their way in. Her eyes continued to search the area, looking for anything when she felt a warm hand over her cold one. Serana whipped her head back to look at the wolf. Khara's brows was a little furrowed before she opened her eyes.

Khara blinked her eyes a few times before she could see clearly and what she saw made her smile right away. Sitting above her was the woman that she had so many feeling for, the women she would do all kinds of crazy things for, like reading Elder Scrolls. It was the woman she loved, the one she had confessed her love to.

"Hey." Khara whispered as she closed her eyes.

Serana let out a nervous laugh as she pulled Khara into a hug, a loving embrace. "Hey yourself." She whispered back into the wolf's neck, her voice trembling a little as she spoke. Khara brought her arms around Serana and returned the hug. Serana sighed as all the worry that were in her mind faded away. "You need to stop doing this." Serana said with a smile as her eyes turned watery. "Passing out and all, you keep scaring me." Serana chuckled.

Khara laughed as she hugged Serana tighter. She sniffed as she felt little tears appear in her eyes, tears of joy. "Oh, this is pretty emotional, huh?" She said with a chuckle. She felt Serana nod her head.

"Yeah, it is." Serana laughed back. "I don't even know why I'm laughing, relief I guess?" Serana released Khara from her embrace and looked at the woman who was smiling at her, eyes a little watery. "You stupid woman." She said as she brought her hands up to Khara's cheeks and kissed her deeply. Khara smiled into the kiss and hummed, Serana herself couldn't help but smile. It felt like the weight on her chest was finally lifted of her, she could breathe with ease once again.

They broke the kiss and rested their foreheads against each other. "As eventful as that was, I know where we have to go, sort of." Khara said in a low voice.

Serana looked at her. "Where to?"

Khara opened her eyes and looked into orange ones. "The Reach, there is a cave there somewhere that we need to find. The Scrolls said something about a bow, Auriel's bow. I think that is what we need to stop this stupid prophecy once and for all. We need to get that bow."

Serana nodded as she brought her head away from Khara. "Okey, but how do you feel? You went as pale as the snow there for a moment." She asked as she looked at her wolf.

Khara took a moment to look herself over as she moved her fingers and everything in between down to her toes, everything seemed to be fine. _Okey, good. Everything works as it should._ Khara nodded and she looked at Serana. "I feel fine, just a little dizzy is all." She said with a smile.

Serana nodded and stood up as she slowly helped Khara to stand as well. "Just take is easy, okey?" She said as she looked the wolf over one more time. Khara nodded as she bent down to pick up the Scrolls, Serana took two off of her before they started walking slowly towards the cave entrance.

"We need to get these back to Paarthurnax." Khara said as she nodded to the Scrolls.

"Yeah, I agree. I can't think of a safer place to be honest." Serana said with a smile.

Khara turned her head and looked at Serana. "We'll get Odahviing to get us there, after that I think it would be best if we used the horses." Khara said and Serana nodded.

They walked outside the cave and walked down the maintain where there was place of Odahviing to land. Khara looked to the skies and inhaled. "OD AH VIING!" The shout echoed off of the mountains and traveled in all directions. A roar could be heard and to the east they spotted a red form in the skies flying towards them.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need my wings, Briinah?" Odahviing asked one last time. He knew why Khara would want to travel on the ground in the Reach. The terrain was twisted, shaped in all sorts of different ways, spotting a cave from above would be very difficult, if not impossible.

"Geh, we'll be fine, I believe the cave we're looking for is well hidden. Being on horseback would be the best in this situation." Khara said as she placed a hand on his snout. "Besides, Paarthurnax said that there were some dragons causing trouble to the north-east, you have work to do, zeymah." Khara said with a little grin, she knew that Odahviing liked to fight other rogue dragons, or anything really, he just liked to fight in general.

The red dragon nudged her with his snout before taking a step back. "It would seem so, bel zu'u briinah, summon me if you need me." He said as he looked at the two. "I look forward to our ruz grind, our next meeting." He said to the both of them, Serana smiled while Khara nodded to him. He then left the two to descend the mountain. Their horses should still be in Ivarstead, hopefully Wilhelm had managed to keep them in good shape since they left them there.

* * *

They walked up to the inn and saw their horses being brushed by a man, Klimmek. He turned to the two and smiled. "Hey, Wilhelm is out on a little business trip to Riften." He said as he moved around the horsed to greet them. "I have been watching out for these fine steeds for a day now." He said with a smile. Ever since Khara had helped him with getting some supplies up to High Hrothgar and some advice about a lady that he liked, Klimmek had seen Khara as a good friend. He looked back at the horses. "They're ready to go." He said as he grabbed a rag and cleaned his hands.

"Great, thank you." Khara gave the man a little something for the job he had done.

"Thanks, I'll make sure Wilhelm gets his half when he returns." He said as he leaned back against the wall of the inn.

"Good man." Khara said with a little smile, Klimmek waved to them before walking into the inn. Serana and Khara mounted the horses and rode out of the village, after they had crossed the bridge when Khara took out her map. "I was thinking. Instead of taking a break at the tavern in Falkreath, we could go to Lakeview Manor instead?" Khara asked as she looked at her map.

"That building we saw when we landed at Pinewatch?" Serana asked, she remembered seeing a house or something close to where they landed.

"Yeah, that's the one." Khara said as she sent Serana a smile.

"That's fine by me." Serana said with smile, but she was wondering though, how many properties did her wolf own? "Just how many houses do you own, Khara?" She asked.

"Five I think?" Khara said as she narrowed her eyes and looked to the ground before nodding. "Yeah, five." She confirmed.

"Five houses." Serana repeated amused. "Why do you have five houses?" She asked.

"Well I was given one, then I bought two in order to become Thane. I also bought two plots of land, one in Hjaalmarch and the other in Falkreath." Khara turned her head when Serana didn't say anything. She looked at the woman and saw that Serana was looking back at her with an amused look on her face. "I have a lot of gold, I have to use it somehow. In Solitude, I have an entire room filled with treasure" Khara defended.

Serana rose an eyebrow. "And why didn't I get to see this treasure room?" She had seen the main room, the alchemy room, the bathroom, the enchanting room and Khara's bedroom, but no treasure room.

Khara smirked at her. "Because we were _busy_ doing something else." Khara said as she wiggled her eyebrows at Serana. Serana rolled her eyes which caused Khara to laugh. "I'll show you it the next time we go there, I promise." She said as she calmed down with the laughter. Serana nodded as she chuckled, she was looking forward to it. They continued their ride in a comfortable silence as both admired the last few yellow and red trees that the Rift had to offer.

* * *

"And that was my introduction to Skyrim." Khara said. She had told Serana about the day she crossed the borders, about the misunderstanding about her being a rebel, the headman's axe and that Alduin himself attacked the village just before Khara was sent to Sovengarde.

"That's quite the introduction and it's a little ironic that Alduin was the one who saved you from the executioner's axe." Serana looked over at Khara. They had passed Helgen a little while ago and was now closing in on Lakeview Manor.

"Yeah, it is." Khara said with a little smile. "It just feels weird, the fact that Alduin and I returned to Skyrim at the same day and in the same place, its odd things like that which makes me wonder if any decisions we make is really our own." Khara said as she looked to the skies, it was still dark and it would remain like that for a few more hours. "I mean what are the chances?" Khara asked.

Serana smiled at the way Khara's mind worked, she could see why the wolf would think it thought. "Maybe you're just lucky when it comes to odd things." Serana said with humor.

Khara snorted. "Yeah, I think I am." She said with a smile. She could the manor now, she jumped of her horse and guided it to the manor's stables. Serana jumped off as well and walked with her horse over to Khara.

"Aren't you a little worried that someone might come and steal the horses?" Serana asked as she looked around, the stabled didn't have any locks or anything on it.

"Not really." Khara said as she walked over to her house and pointed to a carving in the wood by the door." See that?" Khara asked as she looked at Serana. The vampire looked at the mark, it was a diamond shaped carving with to circles in the middle of it, the circles were linked together.

"Yeah, what does it mean?" She asked as she moved her gaze to the wolf.

"It means that this house is protected by the Thieves Guild, it's called a shadowmark. You can see them on almost every single building in Skyrim. There are nine shadowmarks in total, they tell members of the Guild if the location is dangerous, an ally, protected, safe, if there is something of value inside or not." Khara explained as she unlocked the door. "The 'protected mark' is known by most thieves, even those who aren't members of the Guild." She said as she opened the door. "If anyone tries to steal the horses, well, then they have a death wish." Khara said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Serana walked inside the manor, she could see that Khara didn't live here. The place had normal decorations and such, there wasn't really anything personal about the place, it sort of looked like an inn or the main room did anyways.

While walking through the room, Serana was wondering on something. Her wolf had houses, gold beyond what was normal, and was famous through put the entire province, if not all of Tamriel. She turned and looked at Khara who was busy getting her ebony armor off. "Khara, how is it that you haven't married anyone yet?" Serana asked. "Before we met I mean. I would have thought that people were standing in line to ask for your hand in marriage." Serana explained.

Khara looked over at her as she was getting out of her armor. "I've never trusted anyone that much and not a lot of people know about my… _Preference_ in a partner." Khara undid her belt before placing it on the table in the middle of the room. "There have been people who have tried to get close to me, but they didn't do because they liked me. They only did it because they wanted the reputation, my riches, my property, my body, to brag about how they _mounted_ the might Dragonborn." Khara huffed. "They never cared for my feelings." She said as she used her magic to loosen the straps on her armor. "There have been people who pretended to be my friends and when I finally let my guard down around them, I only ended up disappointed or hurt." Khara turned to look at Serana. "I told myself that I wouldn't let that happen again, letting someone in." Her eyes roamed Serana's face before her eyes fell to the floor.

Serana looked at Khara, really looked at her. The wolf had been hurt, used and betrayed by people she thought she could trust and it pained Serana so see her in this state. She moved over to Khara and brought the wolf into her arms. Khara hid her face in the crook of Serana's neck, the woman's scent calmed her and forced her eyes shut. "I made rules." She mumbled against cool skin. "So that it wouldn't happen again because I let one person get too close one time and because of that, a child died." _Who got too close?_ Serana thought, she'd kill anyone who would try to harm her wolf.

Khara inhaled. "And I tried to keep my distance from you, tried to keep you on the outside." Khara brought her hands up to hug Serana back. "But I was drawn to you since we first met, just like a moth to a light, I couldn't stay away." Khara brushed her lips against cool skin. "And those weeks after we got you home was torture, I didn't know if I would see you again, but then you showed up at Whiterun and you looked at me with that damn smile." Khara said with a smile.

Serana smiled as the wolf talked, she remembered when she had woken up to an unknown and hostile world, Khara was the only thing that didn't seem to want to harm her. Since the moment they met the woman had only shown Serana kindness, she had treated her like a person. Her thought of the past was interrupted when she heard that sweet chuckle.

"I tried to ignore my feelings for you, but I was already doomed from the moment you first smiled at me, I even remember the first word I heard you say." Khara said as she smiled even more at the memory.

"Which was?" Serana whispered with a small smile.

" _Ugh_." Khara laughed out.

Serana laughed out as she moved back and out of Khara's embrace. "That's not even a real word, Khara." Serana chuckled as she looked at the woman smiling at her as she took a few steps back.

Khara moved a little closer as she raised her hands defensively. "Alright, alright, your fist _real_ word was _Where_." Khara said as she walked closer to Serana who was still walking backwards with a smile playing at her lips.

Serana's back hit the wall as she looked at the wolf that was coming closer. Khara had moved her hands in her pockets of her trousers and stopped in front of Serana, trying to act all innocent. Serana moved her arms to her back as she leaned against the wall. Their eyes were locked on each other as Khara took one last step towards Serana, making it so she was only a few inches away from the woman. Khara moved her head closer to Serana's and traced the woman's jaw with her nose before placing a gentle kiss on her neck. Serana turned her head to the side as she smiled. "We should get to bed." She said in a low voice.

She felt Khara nod as the wolf brought a hand around Serana's waist as she placed more kisses her neck. Serana closed her eyes as she brought a hand up to Khara's shoulder. "So that we can rest, Khara." She said amused.

"Of course." Khara mumbled as she slowed down her assault and placed one last, long loving kiss on the jaw of the beauty she had pinned up again the wall. She nudged the cheek with her nose as she inhaled before taking a step so the side, dragging her hand against Serana's stomach as she moved away from the woman. Serana turned her head to the woman, who was walking up some stairs. Khara stopped at the middle of the stairs and turned to look at her with that charming smile. Serana pushed herself off the wall and walked up to Khara.

They entered the bedroom and Khara moved to stand in front of the bed as she took off her shirt while Serana undid her clothes next to a chair. Serana was all out of her clothes in no time, she was really looking forwards to get some sleep seeing to how eventful the last twenty-four hours had been. She turned around and saw that Khara was working on her trousers. Her eyes roamed her back as the wolf turned around.

"Did you know that during the height of the Dragon Cult, Labyrinthian was the capitol of Skyrim? It was called Bromjunaar, which roughly translates to _North King-City_." Khara said as she turned to Serana, who was too busy looking at the wolf to respond. Serana's eyes roamed her front, she still had her undergarments on of course, just like Serana did, but it didn't leave much to the imagination. Serana's eyes moved from one place to the other, the way Khara's muscles moved as she undid the trousers was beautiful to the vampire's eyes. Serana's eyes went lower to a toned stomach before going higher, to a shoulder. Her breath hitched as she saw her mark on Khara's shoulder, to see that mark on Khara, knowing that the wolf was hers made her feel all sorts of thing.

Serana moved over to Khara and grabbed her waist as she claimed the wolf's lips. Khara was surprised by the sudden action, but she wasn't complaining. Serana broke the kiss and gently pushed Khara back on the bed. " _Oh_ , _okey."_ Khara squealed as she fell back, she moved further up the bed, Serana following her every move. Khara held herself up with her elbows as Serana lowered herself onto her, they shared a smile before their lips met again. They both closed their eyes as Khara leaned over on one arm as she used the other to get a blanket over them, once they were covered she leaned down against the bed and brought both hands up to dark hair. "If we keep this up, there won't be any rest." Khara mumbled against what had to be the softest lips on Nirn.

Serana hummed. "A few more minutes." She commanded and the wolf obeyed. Serana brushed her tongue against Khara's lower lip, asking for entrance and the wolf happily obeyed once more. Serana groaned as she explored the new territory. She couldn't get enough of her wolf, her taste, scent, sound, warmth, everything. After a little while she decided to give Khara a little breathing break as she moved her lips to a warm neck, silently asking for permission.

Khara knew what she wanted and moved her head to the side, giving Serana more room to work with. Khara moved a hand down from Serana's hair and stroked the woman's back.

Serana smiled as she kissed the skin before sinking her teeth down into it. Khara let out a shaky breath at the feeling, gods she loved those fangs. Serana's smile only widened as she removed her fangs and held her lips against the bite mark, after a few minutes her thirst was satisfied so she ran her tongue over it to stop the flow of blood.

"So, Labyrinthian was the capital." Serana mumbled as she nuzzled Khara's neck.

Khara chuckled as she gave the woman a gentle squeeze with her arms. "So, you did listen." She said amused.

"I always listen." Serana said proudly. "Or at least when it is you that are speaking." She added.

"Good to know." Khara said as she ran her fingers through Serana's hair. "Sleep now, we got lots of traveling to do tomorrow."

Serana hummed and wiggled her body to get more comfortable against her wolf. After a few minutes, she could hear that Khara's breathing changed, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Serana's mind drifted back to when they were in Ancestor Glade, right before Khara read she Scrolls. Khara had said that she loved her. Serana's eyes flew open as she remembered what Khara had said to her, _I love you_. Khara had said that to _her_ , a _vampire_. The corners of Serana's lips slowly crept up, forming a little smile.

She had grown up, or _aged_ believing that she would never actually love someone or be loved. She had learned that all that, what others called love, was what her parents called a power game. People didn't marry, blood-share or just stay with someone without because of feeling. No, they did so in order to get power, reputation, armies, properties, gold, they did it to gain something, not because they simply wanted to stay with someone, because they loved someone.

In the world Serana used to live in, love didn't exist, it was a myth, a fiction, it was just a lie. But, here she is lying in the arms of a woman who had just confessed her feelings towards her, confessed their love for her. Serana gulped because she didn't say it back when Khara had said it, she didn't say it back. She felt a feeling in her chest now, it was heavy, but not in a bad way, more like in a very excited way. She wanted to say it back, needed to say it back. That Khara was asleep and couldn't hear it wasn't important right now, she just need to get it off her chest.

She very slow and gently moved her lips to the wolf's ear, she inhaled through her nose and let the raw scent of fire consume her as she whispered. "I love you, too" She let out a shaky breath just as the words had passed her lips. She had said it back, and even though Khara might not have heard it, Serana meant it with all her heart. Serana placed a featherlight kiss on Khara's cheek before settling back down, this time on her wolf's chest as she closed she eyes. The last thing she remembers before drifting into a deep sleep was two strong, warm arms giving her a little squeeze, turns out Khara wasn't fully asleep after all.

* * *

Khara walked over to the window and was met with one of the most beautiful view that the manor had to offer. Rays on sunlight touched her skin as she slowly made her way over to it. Birds were singing, the flowers showing their full selves as they shone with bright colors, the sunlight hit the lake just right to give it that breathtaking look. Deer could be seen walking between the trees, it was beautiful, stunning, a view that needed to be drawn by the most talented artist in order to do it justice, a view so incredibly breathtaking, it was-.

Khara moved the curtains to cover the window. "Stupid sun…" She mumbled lazily. The sun had woken her when she was so comfortable wrapped around by strong, smooth arms. She turned around and looked at the sleeping form laying in her bed. Serana must have had a very stressful day in order to not have been woken up by Khara's movements as she got out of the bed. Khara felt herself become more awake the longer she looked at Serana. She looked so peaceful where she laid wrapped up in a couple of blankets, Khara felt herself smile at the sight. She decided to leave Serana to her rest so, she after one last look she got dressed and then made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Khara was in the mood for a stew so that is what she made. She might not be the best cook in Skyrim, but she isn't the worst either. She gathered what she needed for the soup and after a little while it was all done. She sat down in front of the main room's fireplace with a bowl of soup in her lap and ate while she looked into the flames. Her thoughts brought her back to last night, right before she had fallen asleep. Khara smiled at the memory, Serana had said the words back. If felt a little odd to be honest, she had never said those words to anyone before, nor had she been on the reviving end. This was all new to her and that was a little frightened, but there was something about the woman upstairs that told Khara that there was no need to be scared, everything would turn out just fine.

It had been a while since she last felt to open to someone, so exposed. And the last person that she had really trusted, betrayed her, stabbed her in the back. But with Serana it felt like she could take on the world, she had never felt this strong and full of energy before. Serana was so very different from what she was used to, there was something so refreshing about her that had Khara struggling to breathe sometimes when their eyes locked. She wanted to badly to just shower the woman with affection, but it would be rude to wake her up from her sleep, right? "Fuck it." She said to herself as she stood up and walked up the stairs before entering the bedroom.

There laying on her bed still was Serana, the woman had moved to lay on her stomach now and her arms were hidden under her pillow. Khara moved to the bed and carefully straddled Serana before she slowly dragged down the blanket covering the woman, revealing that smooth, pale, flawless skin. She bent down and kissed Serana's right shoulder before dragging her lips over to the woman's neck. She let her hands snake their way down Serana's sides, making the vampire move a little. Khara leaned back and smirked as she ran her hand back over to Serana's back where she undid the woman's bra, the wolf had mastered pickpocketing a long time ago, so doing this without the woman knowing was easy. After removing one of the two pieces of undergarments, Khara let her hands slowly make their way up the naked back, nothing in their way this time as she slid the straps of the undergarment over Serana's shoulders. Khara bit her lower lip in order not so chuckle at her success when Serana started moving some more. Khara quickly removed the last piece of clothing on the woman before she started kissing her again.

The wolf bent back down and kissed the smooth skin as Serana's breathing changed. Serana smiled when she realized what was happening. "What are you doing?" She mumbled with amusement, she knew exactly what was happening, but just wanted to hear her wolf's voice.

Khara smiled as she moved to kiss Serana's cheek. "Something's telling me that we're going to do a lot of traveling in the days to come, might be a while till the next time we have some time for ourselves." Khara said in a low voice as she leaned back a little when she saw that Serana opened her eyes.

Serana smiled as she turned around under her wolf and looked into deep blue eyes. She let her eyes roam her wolf's face before she couldn't hold back anymore. She grabbed Khara by her shirt and pulled the wolf down so that she could claim those smooth, warm lips for herself. "What do you plan on doing the last few hours before we go then?" Serana mumbled as she kissed Khara.

Khara moved her lips to Serana's neck as she answered the woman. "More like _who_ do I plan on doing." She said with a laugh as she kissed and nibbled on the smooth skin.

Serana snorted as she closed her eyes. "Who would have thought that you were so _dirty_ when we first met." She said as she moved a hand to Khara's neck. "I love how confident you have become." She said as her eyebrows narrowed as Khara sucked over her pulse point. Khara hummed as she snaked a hand up to cup one of Serana's breast, which caused Serana to yelp in surprise. "When did you undo that?" She said with a laugh. Khara just snorted as she shrugged her shoulders. Serana then felt that she was completely naked and laughed out, her wolf had skilled fingers, she would know after all.

Serana's smile grew as she flipped them over. She looked down at Khara as she felt that feeling in her chest start to flutter and a warm sensation grow in her stomach. She reached for the wolf's shirt and tugged it. "Off, all of it, now." She commanded as Khara's eyes widened a little, but the wolf did obey, and with the help of Serana, she was stripped down to her undergarments.

As Serana sat on top of Khara, she could hear this song in the back of her mind. She remembered this song, she has heard it centuries ago, a female voice sang as a piano played. She had heard it when she was accompanying her parents at a royal family's party when she first heard it. But she never quite understood the text, not until now.

 _I was looking for a breath of life_

 _A little touch of heavenly light_

 _But all the choirs in my head sang no_

 _To get a dream of life again_

 _A little of vision of the start and the end_

 _But all the choirs in my head sang no_

Her mouth went dry as she now got a new understanding of the words. It was like the song was made for her, in this very moment. The voice who sang the words were so clear in her mind now, it was almost like there was someone in the room with them singing it, she could even hear all the instruments as the song continued.

 _But I only needed one more touch_

 _Another taste of heavenly rush_

 _And I believe, I believe it so_

 _And I only needed one more touch_

 _Another taste of devouring rush_

 _And I believe, I believe it so_

She moved back a little while looking Khara straight in the eye. Khara gulped by the look in Serana's eyes and helped herself to sit up while Serana sat on her thighs. Serana moved her eyes to her bitemark on Khara's shoulder as she let her hand move to feel it. _What did I do to deserve you?_ Serana thought at she looked at Khara who tilted her head a little and smiled as she let Serana continue her exploring.

Serana was wondering, how did she manage to become this close to a werewolf, someone who was supposed to be the enemy. She was a vampire, a creature of the night who feeds on the living, what had she done to be so lucky to feel this, this bond with the woman that was right in front of her.

 _Whose side am I on, whose side am I?_

 _Whose side am I on, whose side am I?_

Serana found herself smile a little at how accurate she song really was. Was she supposed to stay with her father and help him fulfill the prophecy? Was she doing the wrong thing? And in that case why did it feel so, so right? She looked back into blue eyes, the silence was almost deafening to her.

 _And the fever began to spread_

 _From my heart down to my legs_

 _But the room was so quiet oh_

 _And although I wasn't losing my mind_

 _It was a chorus so sublime_

 _But the room is too quiet, oh the fever_

She moved her hand from Khara's shoulder and dragged it down to the wolf's heart. It was beating so strong and steady under her touch, and by the way Khara was looking at her, it made her believe that it was beating just for her.

 _I was looking for a breath of life,_

 _A little touch of heavenly light_

 _But all the choirs in my head sang no, I believe it_

 _To get a dream of life again_

 _A little vision of the start and the end_

 _But all the choirs in my head sang no_

She knew that they wound run into trouble, pain, and hardship. She knew that they would meet people and other beings that would seek to harm them. She knew that they were different, but then again, also so very similar. She knew that her father would stop at nothing to at his attempt to fulfill the prophecy, she knew that he would gladly kill Khara if it meant that the prophecy would be complete. And now that Khara knew so much more about the prophecy than Harkon, he might even order his minions to hunt down her for the information she holds.

 _It's a harder way_

 _And it's come to claim her_

 _And I always say_

 _We should be together_

 _I can see below_

 _'Cause there's something in here_

 _And if you are gone_

 _I will not belong here_

Serana moved her hand to stroke Khara's cheek as the wolf patiently sat and waited, letting Serana do whatever she wish at whatever speed she desired.

 _And I started to hear it again_

 _But this time it wasn't the end_

 _And the room was so quiet, oh_

 _And my heart is a hollow plain_

 _For the Daedra to dance again_

 _And the room was too quiet, oh_

She knew that they could do it, defeat her father, stop the prophecy, but at what cost? She felt a little selfish, because she didn't do it to save the world or its inhabitants, no. She did it for herself, and more importantly, for the woman she was looking at. She was of course worried that something would happen to Khara, she loved the wolf, with all her heart. The idea of losing her made Serana feel a chill creep up her spine, she didn't know what the future might bring, so she decided to do the most of the present, the here and now.

 _I was looking for a breath of life_

 _A little touch of heavenly light_

 _But all the choirs in my head sang no_

Serana moved both hands to cup Khara's cheeks, bringing their lips together, she needed to feel Khara's warmth against her. She moved her hand to Khara's back and removed the piece that covered her wolf's chest. She moved one hand to the middle of Khara's chest and slowly, while still pressing their lips together, lowered Khara to lay on her back.

Serana let her hands roam every inch of exposed skin and smiled into the kiss when Khara let her do whatever she wants. To have Khara, who is so powerful and even dangerous, let her do whatever she wishes to her, made Serana melt at the amount of trust the wolf had placed in her. Just the fact that the wolf gives her entire being up to Serana like this makes that feeling in Serana's stomach grow. Serana wanted to claim her in every possible way, she had already left her mark on her wolf, so this time it was her turn to have the wolf squirming beneath her.

Serana moved her lips to Khara's neck, over her pulse point as she let her hands find the last piece of clothes left on the woman underneath her. She moves one hand to the lower back of Khara and lifted her up with her unnatural strength, all while still attacking the wolf's neck, kissing, sucking, licking and nibbling on warm, abused skin as she removed the clothing.

Khara was lost, she was struggling to think straight while the feel of Serana's lips, tongue and hands were making her feel like she was on another realm. The smell was invading her senses as she could smell both hers and Serana's arousal, making her wolf's aspect growl in frustration, she needed more.

As if Serana could her the wolf's thoughts, she moved her lips to Khara's collarbone as one of her hands went lower and lifted Khara's leg over her lower back as she lowered herself fully against Khara, grinding their centers again each other, both closed their eyes at the contact. Khara let out a deep, guttural moan as Serana let her head fall to Khara's side as she let out a shaky breath at the feeling, making her neck exposed to her wolf.

One of Khara's arms went to Serana's back as her hand gripped the woman's shoulder as they moved against each other, before turning her head to kiss Serana's neck. It was difficult to worship the woman's neck when every time their centers met, Khara's lungs forget how to work, making the wolf gasp for air.

Serana felt the wolf's warm breath on her neck and it made her turn her head and claim those warm lips. Serana's arm held Khara's leg in place as her other arm caressed her wolf's cheek as their lips moves against each other with so much passion, so much desire and love. As the speed of their hearts increased, so did their movements as they grinded against the other with more force than before.

Khara's other arm found black hair as she held Serana in place, she needed to feel those lips against her own. One particular grind broke their kiss as their lips simply brushed against each other while both struggled to catch their breath. Their foreheads met, so did their eyes as they continued to move against each other.

Khara move her hand from Serana's hair in order to cup her cheek as she found the strength to form words. " _I love you._ " She whispered with a shaky breath, she furrowed her brows as she struggled to keep her eyes open as her body commanded her to close them due the sensations she was feeling. Khara saw that something changed in Serana's eyes at her words, they seemed warmer.

Serana closed her eyes and kissed Khara deeply while inhaling deeply through her nose, when she broke the kiss she looked back into blue eyes. " _I love you, too._ " She whispered back before moving her lips to Khara's cheek, then over to the lay her head next to the wolf's ear. " _So much_." She whispered as she too found it hard to speak.

Khara's grip on her shoulder became stronger, indicating that she was close, but so was Serana. Serana turned her head so that her lips brushed Khara's jaw as she gathered the last of her strength to move one last time against Khara, this time slower with even more force, bringing them both over the edge. Serana's mouth hang open as her hand on Khara's cheek moved to the wolf's shoulder where they gripped desperately, trying to hold on while she felt a strong, warm sensation vibrate throughout her body. She let out a long, deep moan as the waves of pleasure flowed through her.

Khara on the other hand was currently seeing stars, she held on Serana for dear life as it felt like her flame inside exploded in the most delicious way possible while holding her breath, she was afraid to breathe, to move as she was convinced as the smallest movements would be too much for her body to handle.

Serana's body laid on top of Khara's, emotionless as they both tried to catch their breaths. Khara was the first to move as she turned her head a little to kiss Serana, who happily kissed her back. Khara moved to her side and brought a hand up to move the hair out of Serana's face, she then moved her lips to her cheek, her jaw, then her neck where she nuzzled her nose as she settled down. Her other hand moved to stroke Serana's side before stopping at Serana's hip.

Serana snaked an arm under Khara's head as she brought the wolf closer to herself, brining Khara halfway on top of her. She then moved her other arm to the back of Khara's lower back as she held the woman in place.

It was still very early in the morning, they had time to rest, to gather their strength. So, without the need to exchange words, they both fell asleep in the other's embrace.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Alrighty, I was planning on having the journey to Markarth in this chapter and the introduction to a new custom character, but I suck at planning. You might also notice that this chapter is a little shorter than normal, sorry for that, but I didn't want to add more text just so that it would be longer. Y'all just gonna have to deal with dat.

Other than that, I liked this chapter, the start was my favorite part of it. During the ''adult scene'' I was listening to my random music playlist on youtube and the song 'Breath of Life' was just perfect for Serana, in my mind anyways, I just needed to get it into the story.

I don't feel the need to translate the dragon language in this one, it's pretty simple!

Okey dokey, I'll see ya in the next one.


	11. Chapter 11

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 11_

 _A glimpse of the past_

 _I was raised to follow and obey my parents' rules, to follow them without question, to do as they say when they say it. I was taught to have manners, to have respect for my elders, always let the men speak first, always smile when looked upon, be polite, don't speak your mind and don't embarrass your parents. I was raised to be a pawn in their search for power, for riches and respect. Even though my mother was the more kind of the two, she too was in the game, the game of power._

 _In the start, I didn't know I had any other options, so I followed their lead and did as they said, I was a pawn. I was supposed to be married away to a lord or maybe a Jarl, a royal nonetheless. I would be used so that my parents would have more soldiers, more gold and land. To be sold to the highest bidder, my happiness didn't matter to them, obviously. They were happy to give their only child away for their own hunger for power._

 _For centuries I obeyed the rules, I didn't open my mouth when I didn't agree on their plans, I simply kept my thoughts to myself. Humans were worthless, their politics were jokes in the eyes of my parents. I was to look down on the mortals, the were only good for one thing, to feed us. I was told of the savage beasts that follows the moon, werewolves. I was told they were mindless beasts, their only purpose was that they were good guard dogs to their vampire masters. It wasn't rare that a vampire had a werewolf as a slave, as a bodyguard. In fact, my father used a couple of wolves when he was traveling to the mainland to do business._

 _My point is that most of the things they told me was nothing but lies, what the world was like and the people in it. I was raised by a lie, a fantasy of what my father thought the world should be like. Centuries were taken from me, I have lost so much time, but now, now it finally feels like I'm getting it back. In the last few weeks I have seen more than I have in over four-thousand years, I've met more people, experienced things I didn't think possible, felt things I didn't know could be felt. I've been dead for so long, I had forgotten how it felt to live, to breathe, so see the beauty in this world._

 _For the first time in my life, I feel alive, I feel loved, respected, cared for. And it was all because of one mortal's curiosity, because of Khara, The White Wolf, my wolf._

They had been riding for a few hours now and had just arrived at the stables just outside of Markarth. Right from the beginning, Serana could sense that there was something about this city, something that felt wrong.

They got off their horses and paid the stablemaster. Khara saw that Serana's eyes were locked on the city. "You alright there?" Khara asked as she walked closer.

Serana turned her head towards Khara while still keeping her eyes on the city, she then looked at Khara. "I'm not sure, I got this strange feeling about the city." She said before looking back at the stone walls.

Khara nodded while she stood beside Serana as she too looked at the city. "It's a strange place alright. I haven't been much here, but if you think the city is odd…" Khara said as turned her head to look at the vampire. "Just wait till you meet the people." Khara took a step forward and gestured for Serana to follow.

They walked up to the gate where the guards opened the gates for them. "Keep your noses clean while in Markarth strangers." A guard said as they walked past him. They entered the city and their eyes roamed the streets as they walked further into the city.

It is an incredible city, it really is. It's unique and beautiful in its own way. Shops, houses and other buildings were carved out of the mountains. Moss and other plants covered the town, giving it an even more interesting look, there was even this little stream flowing through the city.

They were in the market area of the town. A few stalls could be seen from where they stood, as well as a few people. Khara hadn't been much in this city, she didn't know much about anyone here really. The Jarl seemed fair, but the people who dwelled within the city, well some of them seemed like they were carrying something dark.

"I guess we should start looking at the inn." Khara said as she turned around to look at Serana.

"Yeah, we need to get you some food as well." Serana said with a small smile, they had been riding for a few hours and she knew that Khara was hungry, she could sense it.

"Yes boss." Khara said with a grin. "Maybe, if there isn't too many-."

"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!" A man yelled with anger in his voice as he drew a dagger and was about to stab an orc. The orc turned around with wide eyes, he reached for his axe as he took a step back, but he was too slow.

Serana moved fast and grabbed the man by his cloak and pulled him away from his target. As the man stumbled back, Khara kicked him in the leg so that he lost balance. As he fell to the ground, Serana drew her dagger and in the second the man hit the ground, her dagger met his heart. It was the right cause of action, if anyone else could see the fury in the man's eyes, they too would have done the same.

Serana pulled out her dagger as she looked up to Khara. They shared a quick look before the orc approached them. Serana stood up and put the dagger away as she and Khara looked at him.

"By Malacath." He mumbled as he stopped in front of them, eyes stuck on the corpse at his feet. He placed his hands on his belt as he inhaled deeply. He raised his eyes as he looked at the two women. "You two saved my life!" He said with a light chuckle.

Orcs are strong, tall and fierce. The one that stood in front of them were no exception, he was tall and was well built. He had a mohawk and strangely enough, no war paint on his face. His teeth and tusks were white and sharp, he was young too, maybe a year or two younger than Khara.

"You have good timing too, one more second and I'd be the one laying on the ground." He said as he poked the corpse with his foot. He looked back at the two and spoke once more. "I don't think I've seen you in the city before, you new around here?" He said as they had to move back as the guards made to move the body.

"Aye, that we are." Khara said as she looked at the guards who was carrying the body away from the streets. "Actually, maybe you could help us with something, if you don't mind that is." She asked hopefully. "We're looking for something within the Reach."

The orc's eyes lit up. "Really now, well I know these lands. I'm with the Stronghold to the north of here, Mor Khazgur." He said as he turned his body to Khara.

"That's good." Khara said as her eyes widened a little bit. "We're looking for a cave, not a lot of people know about it, it's old and hidden. That's all we know about it." Khara said with an apologetic look, she knew it wasn't a lot of information to go on.

The orc though about it for a moment before speaking. "I'm not allowed to share information with strangers, but I can bring you to the stronghold where you can talk to my chieftain, Larak." The orc said as he watched and waited for Khara's answer.

Khara narrowed her eyes at the orc. "And he will just allow us to enter his stronghold? Isn't there something we must do in order to be allowed inside?" Khara asked.

The orc nodded. "Once inside you will be challenged by Larak. It's a ritual, all outsider must prove their strength. But from what you two just did, I don't think that will be too difficult." He said with a small smile.

Khara smiled as she nodded. "Alright then, what's your name?" She asked as she turned her body towards him.

He straightened up as he brought his arm up to his chest and slammed it over his hearth. "I am Orgrim." He said proudly. He then looked at Serana and Khara.

Khara smiled as she reached her hand out. Orgrim looked at it before accepting. "I am Khara." She said. Orgrim smiled too as he looked to Serana, then shook her hand as well.

"Serana, pleased to meet you." She said as she shook his hand. He smiled as he took a step back and looked at the two.

"Now then, with that out of the way. I need to talk with the local butcher and then have a few words with the Jarl. How about I meet you two at the inn in, say four hours?" He said as he looked at the inn's entrance. Both women nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll see you two soon then." He said as he walked over to where he stood before and grabbed a bag. He then disappeared as he walked further up one of the streets.

Khara and Serana entered the inn and saw that is was quite crowded. Serana ordered some food as well as a room in order to have some privacy. They weren't going to sleep or anything, but due to all the people in the inn, is was near impossible to hear what they were saying to each other.

They entered their room, it had a double bed and a table with a bench. Serana placed the plate of food on the table and sat down while Khara got out of her armor, the damn thing was heavy and it felt wonderful to get it off whenever she had the chance. Khara moved and sat down next to Serana as was handed a bowl of horker stew.

Khara's eyes lit up as she accepted the bowl, she didn't know what Serana had ordered. "Your favorite, right?" Serana said amused by the look of her wolf's face before looking down at her dagger and started cleaning it with a rag.

Khara smiled as she leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on Serana's cheek, before moving her lips to Serana's ear. "You're the absolute best." She said in a low voice as she placed one more kiss under her ear. The wolf then rested her head on Serana's shoulder.

Serana grinned as she put her dagger on the table. "Eat your food." She said amused. Khara hummed as she inhaled through her nose, _sweet lavender_. She then placed her bowl back at the table and moved a hand to hold Serana's head in place while she attacked the woman's face with her lips. Serana laughed as Khara kissed her cheek, jaw neck before gently biting her earlobe. Khara chuckled as she slowed down with her assault, she then leaned back grabbed her bowl again.

As they sat and ate in silence, Khara's mind had the wonderful idea to travel back a few years, much to the wolf's displeasure.

* * *

 _-_ _Two years ago_

Khara lowered her blade as she took a step back, she was breathing heavily and she was exhausted. She swallowed as she closed her eyes, demanding her heart to slow down.

"This was a mighty deed! The doom of Alduin encompassed at last, and cleansed is Sovngarde of his evil snare." Tsun praised as he approached Khara. "They will sing this of this battle in Shor's hall forever."

The other heroes of old cheered together. "All hail the Dragonborn!" They roared.

"You have done what many thought to be impossible, Khara. When you are ready to rejoin the living, just bid me so, and I will send you back." Tsun said as he smiled down at the woman.

Khara smiled as she used her hand to remove the sweat from her forehead. "I'm ready, Tsun, send me back." She said as took one last look at the beauty of this place.

"Very well. When you have completed your count of days, I may welcome you again, with glad friendship, and bid you join the blessed feasting." He said as he looked in blue eyes. "Return now to Nirn, and know that Shor is proud of you, we all are." He said with a warm smile before inhaling. "NAHL DAAL VUS!" He shouted and Khara's vision turned completely white, she could not see a thing.

* * *

Music blasted through the dining hall as people sang and cheered. A bard jumped on a table and started to sing. The Jarl had allowed everyone in the city to feast in the keep this day.

 _The evil is gone  
So, let life live on  
We'll drink and we'll cheer for the hero we know  
She did as foretold, and slayed the old dovh  
She has released us from harm  
Yes, that's what she has done_

 _With a heart made of steel and fiery soul  
She shouted the evil out of his storm  
So come on now lads!  
Sing along!_

More bards and other people jumped up on other tables and sang along with the bard.

 _Our hero, our hero  
Claims a warrior's heart  
I told ye', I told ye'  
That the hero would come!_

 _With the Voice welding power_  
 _Of the ancient Nord art  
I believed, I believed  
That the hero would come!_

 _It's an end to the evil  
Of all Skyrim's foes  
I was aware, I was aware  
That the hero would come!_

 _For the darkness has passed  
And the legend still grows  
We know, we know  
The Dragonborn's come!_

People threw their mugs in the air, roared and cheered as they clapped to the music. Everyone was celebrating and, why wouldn't they? Only a few months ago, they all thought that the end was near, that the world they knew would be devoured by the World Eater. And now, it wasn't. The Dragonborn had defeated the great evil and saved all life on Nirn, they were going to celebrate for hours upon hours, if not days because of this. Finally, a future could be seen again, and people sure was happy to see it.

Khara was sitting in a corner with her hood and mask up, she never was one for huge gatherings and such. She was wearing some different armor than what she normally wears in hopes that no one will know who she is. After a drink, she walks outside to the porch and moved over to the edge where she admires the view in peace. She removed her mask and hood and inhaled deeply.

"I find it a bit strange that the guest of honor is not celebrating with the rest of us." A smooth female voice said.

Khara turned her head and looked at the woman who was making her way over to Khara. The woman was quite pleasing to the wolf's eyes if we're being honest. The woman was wearing a simple dark shirt with leather trousers, normal leather boots and a belt. She was tall and well built. Her hair was blond and long, it fell over the woman's shoulders, she was quite pleasing to the eyes indeed.

"Why are you hiding out here?" The woman asked as she put her arms behind her back and leaned against the stone edge as she looked at Khara.

Khara watched the woman for a second before looking back at the scenery. "I was never one for big gatherings and such, too many people if you ask me." Khara said. _The people in that keep don't even know my name._

"I get that, must be annoying that there is so many people down there celebrating you when they don't even know who you really are." The woman said as she looked back at the doors to the keep.

Khara eyes the woman in the corner of her eye, what she had basically taken the words out of Khara's mind. "Exactly!" Khara praised with a small smile. "I bet you that only a handful of people here knows my name." Khara said with a small chuckle.

The woman let out a little chuckle of her own before speaking. "Well, care to let one more know it?" The woman asked, her voice a little lower this time.

Khara turned her head to look at her, the woman rose an eyebrow as Khara made her decision. She gave a small nod as she raised her hand towards the woman. The woman grinned as she grabbed the offered hand. "I'm Khara." She said as she looked into green eyes.

The woman lowered her head a little while still looking Khara straight in the eyes, her grin widening the tiniest bit. "Pleasure to meet you, Khara." The woman said, as if testing to see how the name felt rolling on her tongue. "I'm Lyria." The woman said as their hands shook.

"What brings you out here then, Lyria. You're not enjoying the party?" Khara asked as she turned around and used her arms to hoist herself up in the stone fence.

Lyria looked back at the doors as she tilted her head. "I'm not really a huge fan of people in general, they make too much noise." She said as she turned her head back to Khara. "And most of them smell horrible." She said as she made a disgusted face, making Khara snort.

"You're right about that." Khara said amused. "What brings you to Whiterun then? I don't think I've seen you here before." Khara asked, she always remembers a face, always.

Lyria sighed as she titled her head back to look at the stars in the skies above them. "My parents died by a bandit raid while I was in town running some errands. They took everything and burned the whole house down." She explained. "So, I had nothing or no one anymore, I decided to come to Skyrim. I've always read about it in books and such. I've always wanted to explore the land, it's beautiful here, cold, but beautiful." She said with a smile.

"Like what you've seen soon far?" Khara asked as looked up to the skies.

Lyria smirked before answering. "Very much."

They continued to talk for hours about everything really. Lyria was really easy to talk too and she said things as she saw them. It was refreshing to have someone speak their mind for once.

* * *

 _-_ _Four months later_

Those hours on the porch with Lyria was one of the funniest nights Khara's had for a long time. As days turned into weeks, Khara would come back to Whiterun and run into Lyria quite often, they would have a meal and some drinks at the tavern and share tales of their adventures. Their friendship grew strong as time went on, and even thought Khara was unsure if Lyria would stick around or not, the woman kept being there when Khara showed up.

They got close, they were good friends. Lyria even helped Khara one time with clearing a bandit camp, they both used their bows and killed all the bandits before they even realized that they were under attack.

On one evening at the tavern they were sharing a meal while listening to a bard sing, when Lyria offered Khara something. "I've been wanting to ask you something for a little while now." She said as she searched her pocket for something. She pulled out a piece of paper from a pouch and placed it on the table in front of Khara. Khara leaned over the table and looked at the paper as Lyria moved over to sit next to Khara. "There is a legend that inside this old crypt-." Lyria pointed on the map. "That there is an old enchanted ring inside that can turn the wielder into a ghost, the can't be seen, felt, smelled or heard." She explained.

Khara let out a low whistle. "That sure sounds interesting, it's quite the legend, if it's true then it must be one of the most incredible enchantments in existence." Khara said as she looked at the notes on the paper.

Lyria nodded as he rested her arm on Khara's shoulder as she leaned closer. "Yeah, I know, right? I've spent weeks trying to find its location, but that right here-" She nodded to the map. "If it really does exist, that's where it'll be." Lyria said with a smile.

Khara looked at Lyria, who was really close to her now, and asked. "So, what did you want to ask then?" She said amused, she already knew.

Lyria rolled her eyes before looking deeply into Khara's eyes. "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me there." She said in a low voice as Khara's eyes turned back to the map. "I'd be nice to an extra pair of eyes with me. And besides, rumors say that you know how to handle that." She said with a lower voice as she poked Khara's sword with her index finger.

Khara could help but feel the warmth of having Lyria so close to her, she could even smell the woman's scent and it only made her heart beat a little bit faster than normal. She nodded when she saw that Lyria was looking at her with hopeful eyes. "Alright, alright." She said with a smile. "When do you want to leave and find this ring of legend." She asked as she turned to look at the woman next to her.

"Tomorrow?" Lyria dragged out the word, hoping it would be okey for Khara.

"Sure, I got nothing planned." She said with a grin.

As they continued to talk and plan their little journey, Lyria kept her arm on Khara's shoulder. After a little time, Khara almost forgot that is was there, until it moved of course. Lyria leaned closer to Khara's ear and whispered. "That man over there have been watching you for a while now." Her voice was low.

Khara raised her eyes and looked at the man before lowering her gaze again. "Too bad for him, he's only wasting his time." She responded with a small grin.

Lyria tilted her head a little as her eyes shamelessly roamed the man's body. "Well, he certainly isn't the worst looking man in this place." Lyria turned her gaze to see Khara's reaction.

Khara narrowed her brows as she spoke. "I'm not interested." She simply said.

Lyria smirked. "No? Not what you prefer?" She asked, something about her voice demanded Khara to answer her.

Khara snorted. "You could say that."

Lyria smirked as she turned her attention back to the map, there was still so much they would have to talk about before heading out.

* * *

- _Six months later_

"Thank you again for letting me come with you, I love the view from here." Lyria said happily as she stretched out her arms, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"It's no problem, I'm just sorry that the Jarl is having a party, but it was nice of him to let us be here." Khara said with a smile as they walked over to the edge of the porch. Lyria turned around and looked at Dragonsreach as she leaned back against the stone fence. It was dark and the guards hadn't lit the touches on the porch yet, mainly because of the guest the Jarl had in his keep. Many royals and other important people were here today.

"Well thanks, it means a lot." Lyria said as she moved over to where Khara leaned against the fence and placed an arm over the woman.

Khara kept her eyes on the keep as she shrugged her shoulders while smiling. "Now what kind of friend would I be if I didn't get you here on your birthday." Khara said with a soft voice.

Lyria beamed at her and placed a quick kiss on Khara's cheek. Khara's eyes widened at the gesture, for the last weeks now, Lyria had been touchier of late, her hands would linger a little while longer than normal whenever she touched Khara, she would even kiss the woman's cheek every now and then, as she just did. And Khara had to be honest with herself, it felt good.

As Khara got lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice that a man, a royal by the looks of it, came into view. He was carrying his daughter in his arms, speaking to her with a soft voice. Khara had to smile at the image, it was quite adoring to see a man act so sweet to his child, not many would do so in a place like this, where others could see.

Khara noticed that Lyria's arm was no longer on her, she turned her head while still smiling. "Lyria?" She asked. _Where did she go?_ Khara turned her gaze back to the man who was still talking to his daughter, he must have senses her eyes on him because he rose his gaze and med Khara's eyes. He smiled politely to her as he turned her head to Khara's side. The man's eyes widened as he took a step back.

Khara narrowed her eyes as she took a step forward and turned around. _What the?_ "What in Oblivion are you doing, Lyria?" She asked unsure of what to tell the woman. Lyria was standing a few feet to her side, on top of the fence with a bow in her hands, she was aiming at the man. Khara moved to the side to stand in the way, so that Lyria could shoot the man, he was holding his daughter, an arrow would harm the child, if not kill her.

"Damnit, Khara. Get out of my way." Lyria commanded with a growl. Khara's eyes widened, she had never heard that voice before. Lyria's eyes would not meet hers, they were stuck on the man and his daughter. "I don't want to harm you." She said with anger.

"What are you doing!" Khara yelled, shocked. What the fuck was Lyria doing? And why was her voice different? She didn't even recognize the woman's eyes anymore, they were still green, but they were cold as ice.

"Damnit…" Lyria said as she met Khara's eyes. "I said move." She said with a cold voice as she let her grip on her arrow loosen, letting the arrow fly. It flew past Khara's throat, giving her a little cut before continuing its journey towards the man, towards the little girl. Khara's hand shot up to her cut as she almost couldn't believe what had just happened. She just stood there in shock.

Lyria threw the bow away as she looked behind her, down the drop, before looking back at Khara. She smirked as she spoke. "I again, want to thank you for making this possible, dear." She said with a cold, yet smooth voice as she looked beyond Khara. "Shame the girl had to be in the way." Lyria said as she moved to stand on the very edge of the fence.

Khara was struggling to speak. "You used me." She said in a low, hurt tone. "Your name isn't even Lyria, is it? She said as she was fighting to keep the tears away.

"I needed to complete a contract, and you helped me do it." The woman said with a wicked grin. "I'm sure we'll meet again, Khara." She said as she jumped of the edge, leaving Khara alone.

Khara's lips were trembling, her head felt heavy and hollow, her thoughts full of disappointment, anger and annoyance. She turned around to see the father lying on his back with his daughter still in his arms. A huge pile of blood was forming around him from the arrow that impaled them both. Khara was struggling to stand as it felt like her mind was falling into chaos. _I trusted her._

* * *

- _Present_

"Are you alright, Khara?" The voice made Khara blink her eyes in order to see clearly again. Khara turned her head and looked at Serana, who was watching her with worry in her eyes.

Khara cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm f-fine." Her voice trembled as she spoke, _damnit_. Khara turned her gaze away from Serana, she didn't want Serana to see her like this.

Serana's eyes widened a little as she moved closer to Khara, she placed one hand on her wolf's shoulder as she moved the other to Khara's cheek, forcing the wolf to look at her. Their eyes met and Serana could see the tears in the wolf's eyes. "Tell me, please." Serana pleaded as she used her thumb to caress the wolf's cheek.

"It was just a bad memory is all, I don't want to bother you with that." Khara said with a weak voice, damn, why was this so hard to talk about?

"It's clearly bothering you..." Serana said as she used her other hand to wipe away the tears rolling down those smooth, warm cheeks.

Khara sighed as she let her gaze fall. "My mind thought that now would be a good time to remind me to what happened the last time I let my guard down with someone." Khara said, scared that Serana would misunderstand her words, so the continued. "Please don't be mad, I'm…I'm not that good with words." Khara said as she furrowed her brows, she didn't want to make this sound wrong. "I love you and I trust you, and I know that you won't betray that, that you won't betray me." Khara explained. "But this damn memory is making it hard to ignore the idea of you or someone betraying me again." Khara lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I just can't stop that damn thought to make its way into my mind, I'm sorry." She said with a low, trembling voice.

"That's not your fault." Serana said as she moved to kiss Khara's head. Khara moved her head to look at Serana. The woman moved their foreheads together as their eyes lock. "If I ever meet the person that did this to you…" Serana's eyes changed. "I swear I'll make them regret it." She said as she kissed Khara on her forehead again before pulling Khara into a tight embrace. "Who did this to you, what was their name." Serana whispered.

"Astrid." Was all Khara said as she only focused on Serana. She could hear her wolf aspect growl at the mention on the name. _My teeth to her neck,_ the wolf aspect said with anger as it paced back and forth in Khara's mind.

Serana kissed her wolf's neck before speaking. "Let's lay on the bed, there is still a few hours till Orgrim gets here." Khara nodded and rose before following Serana to the bed.

Serana laid down and Khara moved to straddle Serana's waist as she looked down on the woman. She smiled a small smile as she bent down and kissed the woman full on the lips as Serana held her in place. "You're so..." She mumbled against cool lips as she felt Serana smile into the kiss. "The day I walked into Dimhollow is the best damn day of my life." She mumbled as she continued to kiss Serana deeply.

"Stop now, before you make me cry." Serana mumbled amused as she kissed her wolf back.

Khara hummed as she moved her lips to the woman's cheek, then her ear. "I won't ever stop. You're _everything_ to me, Serana." Khara whispered. The need to be close to Serana was only getting stronger for every passing day. Khara wanted more, craved it. She wanted to make Serana feel how she made Khara feel. The lightest of touches made Khara's body crave more. The moment their eyes met, she needed to get closer. _I want more_ , Khara said in her mind. _Geh?_ A deep voice within her answered.

Serana reclaimed her wolf's lips and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss. As their kiss turned longer and deeper, Serana could feel the air around them turn warmer. She opened her eyes and could see a ling around them, her eyes widened as she broke the kiss. There was this light blue aura around them, it was faint, bit it was there. "Khara?" She whispered, what was this? And why did Serana feel so warm? She could feel the heat radiating from Khara, but this warmth came from within herself.

Khara opened her eyes and looked at Serana. Khara felt something different, _she_ felt different. Her heart was razing, but she didn't find it any harder to breathe and she could feel this electric feeling travel through her body, pulsing through her in waves. She let her eyes move and she too saw the aura surrounding them. Khara's mind went blank as she felt the presence of fire within her increase. She moved back to sit on Serana's lap as the feeling within her increased.

Serana moved to sit as well as she turned her gaze back to Khara, whose eyes were now a bright blue and glowing and her wolf's brows were furrowed.

Khara felt this urge to speak, but she had nothing to say. _Zu'u fen tinvaak, goraan gein._ A deep voice from within her spoke. _Nii los tiid,_ it said. Khara let out a breath as her eyes found Serana's. "Voth hi zu'u fen ofan daar gron." She said as she held Serana's eyes. _What's happening?_ Khara thought confused. These weren't her own words.

The blue aura turns brighter as some purple joined it, it almost looked like that light that stormed to Khara when she had slain that dragon back at Ivarstead.

Serana's eyes widened as it made its way towards them, it surrounded them tighter. Serana's jaw tightened as leaned closer to Khara. "What are you saying?" She said in a low voice.

Khara's hands found Serana's sides and pulled the woman into a tight embrace. She moved one hand up to Serana's neck where it caressed the skin, trying to calm her down. "Fah do hi, dii yolos los mul." Khara whispered, she couldn't control herself, the words were forced out of her.

Serana closed her eyes as she marveled in her wolf's warmth, she could feel the aura now, and it made her feel even warmer. Khara's words echoed in her mind and her eyes shot open when she understood them. _Because of you, my flame is stronger,_ is what her wolf had light of the aura came closer to her and roamed her body, before stopping with its movements.

"And I wish to give a part of it to you, if you accept." Khara said. Serana didn't know if Khara was still speaking in the dragon language or not, but she understood it perfectly.

It made sense now. Khara's eyes were glowing that bright blue because her dragon aspect was showing itself to her, it was offering something to her, something very personal. Was this something dragons did? Or was it only Khara who could do it.

"Do you?" Khara asked with a soft voice as her lips brushed against cool skin.

 _Do I_? Serana asked herself. There weren't many things she wanted in life, but she was positive that being closer to her wolf was something she wanted very much. At times Serana finds herself wanting to give Khara something as well, for example, her blood. Turning someone could was incredible intimate for a vampire, and Serana would be lying if she said she didn't want to turn Khara. The idea of doing the blood bond with her wolf was extremely tempting. So, when her wolf offered her something that will bring them even closer together, she had to accept.

" _Yes_." Serana whispered as she moved her hands down to Khara's tights before pulling her wolf closer. She closed her eyes and inhaled her wolf's scent.

Khara smirked before pulling a bit back so that she could capture Serana's lips, her hand moved to the woman cheek as the aura around them turned brighter. It flowed into Serana and theirs lips stopped moving as a new feeling entered the both of them.

Serana's eyes shot open as voices entered her mind. Images were in front of her, visions even. She was seeing Khara's memories.

 _Hold! You are under arrest!_ Images of Helgen were showing. _She goes to the block._ Blood, bodies, corpses, death. Buildings burning, people screaming. Something was in the skies above. Afraid, she feels afraid, scared, small and helpless. _I am Alduin! I will have your soul, Khara._ Riverwood, the blacksmith. Move to Whiterun, have to go to Whiterun. _The city is closed._ Dragonsreach, the Jarl. _Go to the watchtower._ More death, more corpses and smoke. A dragon. _I am Mirmulnir! Hear my voice and fear me!_ The dragon lies die on the ground before her. The aura comes, it hurts. _You are Dovahkiin_.

Serana's eyes were forced shut as the memories were becoming too much, it was overwhelming. Her grip on Khara weakened as the images continued.

 _Use the shout if you know it, Dovahkiin!_ Paarthurnax, Alduin. A difficult fight. _This is humiliating._ Odahviing, trapped. A temple with a portal. Sovngarde. Alduin. _I am eternal! I cannot end!_ Alduin's fall, his death.

The images entered Serana's mind at an incredible speed. It felt like chaos as she could see hundreds of images.

 _The way they walk, what they're wearing. It's a dead give-away._ The voice echoed in her mind. Riften, the Guild. A old man, Mercer. _Looks like this place will be your final resting place._ More pain, a sword to the stomach. Dwemer ruins, two friends. _It's over Mercer._ A fight, an escape, a celebration. _Cheers lads! To the new Guild Master!_

The images faded as a warm feeling entered Serana.

 _You summoned me, my Jarl?_ Morthal, the Jarl needed her help. _Go to the mountains, to a cave there._ A puzzle, a pain in my hand, blood. The ground shook. A woman, _Serana._

It was odd to see herself from Khara's view. She could feel something, but it was Khara's feelings, her opinions and how she saw it all. Serana's breath hitched as she felt incredible warm, happy, content, wanted, cared for, loved. This was what Khara felt for Serana, and it felt amazing. She moved her head so that she rested her forehead against Khara's. Their eyes met and something was different.

"Was that okey?" Khara asked unsure, she had never done that before, she didn't even know that she could do it. It was rare that her dragon aspect would wake and speak with her. She was worried of what had just happened. She saw some images of her past and felt old feelings, did Serana see it too? She must have, something was different in those orange eyes.

Serana looked into blue eyes, the glow was gone now, the eyes she loved so much were back normal. _Was that okey?_ It was beyond okey. Khara had shared her feelings, her past, her memories and opinions with her, just now. She had opened up to Serana, the amount of trust needed to do something like that, Serana felt proud of her wolf. She moved a hand up to stroke Khara's cheek as she smiled at the woman. She moved and pressed her lips against her wolf's, she could answer with words, but she knew that he wolf would understand this answer.

Khara hummed happily as her arms around Serana tightened. "I wish we had more time." Khara mumbled against Serana's lips.

Serana smiled into the kiss as she understood what her wolf wanted. Orgrim would probably be here soon so, they would have to leave their little bubble in a few moments, but till that time came they would just enjoy the other's embrace.

* * *

"Do you travel to Markarth often, Orgrim?" Khara asked as they walked up a path, they had been walking for a little while now. They left their horses back at Markarth due to the narrow and steep road they had to use to get to the stronghold.

Orgrim turned his head and smiled as they walked. "That I do, we have a few hunters back home, but I'm the one who sells the pelts and such to the traders in the city." He said as he looked ahead, he could see now see Mor Khazgur. "Let me do the talking to Larak, he can be…Aggressive to strangers." He said.

"Alright." Khara answered. She turned her head to look at Serana and she had to smile. Just having Serana with her felt good to the wolf. As she looked at her lover she wanted to let Serana know how she made her feel, she felt a tingle in her chest.

Serana felt this warm feeling in her chest, this happy feeling, a tingle. "I know you're looking at me." She whispered with a smile without turning her head to look at Khara.

Khara let out a low laugh. "How?" She asked.

Serana turned her head and looked at Khara. "I can feel it." She said with a grin. She turned her head back to watch where she was going, the terrain was quite hard to walk on.

Khara narrowed her eyes. "Yeah?" Khara wondered if she could make Serana feel other feelings too. She slowed down a little so that she was directly behind Serana. Her eyes roamed the woman's back before falling to her leather covered ass. The sway of her hips, the way her legs moved. The wolf let her thought go wild as her eyes were stuck on her woman. She felt warm and excited and that warmth fell down to between her legs. She then focused on that tingle in her chest, hoping that Serana would feel what's she's feeling.

Serana's eyes widened as she felt that same tingle, but this time it wasn't in her chest, it was lower. Serana stopped as she spun around to look at Khara, with wide eyes and her mouth hang a little open.

Khara stopped, let her arms go behind her back as she sucked in her lips in order not to laugh at Serana's flustered face.

Serana smirked and flashed her teeth. In the second she showed her fangs, that smile on Khara's face disappeared. The wolf swallowed as her eyes were stuck on Serana's fangs. Serana walked back, closer to Khara, leaned close to her wolf as she placed a hand on her chest and whispered. " _I'll always win, Khara. And I will make you pay for that._ " She whispered in her most seductive voice.

Khara whimpered as Serana moved away from her. The wolf found out that what she just did was a very bad idea. She did get an idea of how this, soul-bound-share-thingy worked though. It made it so that Khara could share her emotions, feelings and memories if she concentrated enough, that is at least how she had just done it. A little talk with Odahviing in the near future would be wise. She didn't think that it worked both ways though, because she was the one who gave something away. She gave Serana a piece of herself, maybe it could work both ways? Perhaps, all these questions made Khara tempted to summon her brother, but they were a few feet away from the stronghold now. Meeting up with a dragon might now be the best of ideas.

Khara ran up to Serana and they walked up to Orgrim who was waiting for them at the gates. He smiled at them as they got closer. "Right. Just stay behind me and I'll introduce you to the chieftain." He said.

Both women nodded and followed the orc through the gates. They walked up to the longhouse and could see an orc sitting in a chair in front of it. The orc, who must be Larak, spotted them and rose from his seat. Other orcs also looked at them, but let their chieftain handle it.

Orgrim walked straight up to him, only stopped a few feet in front of Larak. Larak looked past Orgrim and looked at the two women before turning his gaze back to the orc in front of him. "You better have a good excuse to bring outsiders within the stronghold, Orgrim. You know the rules." Larak said with his deep, dominant voice.

Orgrim bowed his head in respect before speaking. "These two saved my life in the city, I was about to be stabbed by a forsworn when they entered. They didn't know me, and still they held me, a complete stranger. Because of that, I offered my help to them." Orgrim said, his voice held an even tone as he spoke.

"And what would that be?" Larak asked.

"They're looking for a cave, I think I know of the one they seek, but I know I'm not allowed to share that information with outsiders." Orgrim explained.

"So, you brought them to me." Larak said as he walked past Orgrim to get a better view of the two standing behind the orc. "I take it you had the challenge in mind?" He asked his fellow orc as his eyes were stuck on the females.

"Yes." Orgrim said as he turned his body around.

Larak nodded as he approached the two. "You can only get, in this case, information by becoming a blood-kin to the stronghold. You become one by fighting a chieftain and winning or lasting for five minutes within the circle." Larak explained as he pointed to a medium sized circle on the found a few feet to their right. It was marked with stones.

"Okey, and the rules are?" Khara asked.

"No magic, no weapons, no armor, just yourself and your opponent." Larak said. "Everything else is allowed, but if you somehow end outside of the circle, you lose." He said as he crossed his arms. Khara nodded as she looked over at the circle.

"Would the both of us need to do this, or just one?" Serana asked.

Larak looked at her. "Just one." He said with a nod. "If you wish to take the challenge, then you're welcomed to stay here till it starts. It will be held at dusk." He said as he looked at the two.

"We'll take the challenge." Khara said with a polite smile.

Larak nodded. "Very well, talk to Orgrim if there is anything." And with that, Larak returned to sit next to the longhouse.

Khara watch around them, seeing if anyone was watching them, before walking closer to Serana. She put her hands on her belt and leaned closer to the woman. "As much as I want to fight, I sort of want to see how you move around without your spells and dagger." Khara said as she looked at Serana's face.

Serana smirked before locking her eyes with her wolf's. "Yeah?" She whispered. "I think it might be the best idea since I heal faster than you, plus you won't have to get out of your armor." Serana said as her eyes fell down Khara's body.

Khara nodded as she inhaled her scent. "You're also stronger." She said.

Serana smiled. "I'm also frustrated from earlier, it will feel good to just let it out. Even though I would rather do it in another way and with someone else." She said as she winked at her wolf, who blushed at her words.

"I'm sorry about that." Khara mumbled as her gaze fell to the ground.

Serana laughed as she walked over to Orgrim. "No, you're not." She said.

Khara felt her lips turn into a small smite at her words. _No, I'm not._

They walked over to the orc and asked him a few questions about the fight and so. Larak might not be the biggest orc, but he is strong and extremely fast and agile. Serana's vampire reflected will come in handy here as will her strength, if they're lucky, Larak will underestimate her greatly.

"There is still a few hours till dusk." He said as his eyes roamed the skies. "How about some food or something to drink? Or both?" He asked.

Khara and Serana let out a little laugh as they accepted his offer. The walked over to his hut and sat down as the orc prepared them something to eat. Throughout the whole time they sat at his hut, Khara and Serana would share these little glances, something felt different between them, and by all that is divine, it felt incredibly good.

Serana's eyes followed the setting sun as they sat at the hut, her eyes marveled at the beautiful color that took over the skies. She looked back at her wolf, who was in a very interesting conversation with Orgrim about crafting and working the forge. Serana smiled at the amount of energy Khara had when she talked about something she had a lot of knowledge about. Orgrim too looked like he enjoyed himself. Serana's eyes were stuck on Khara's blue eyes as she watched her wolf speak. Khara looked over to Serana for a moment and smiled that sweet, special smile that was reserved to Serana alone. She then felt a warm hand appear on her thigh before Khara continued to chat with Orgrim.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations**

 **Dragon aspect** : Geh? - **Yes?**

Zu'u fen tinvaak. - **I will speak, young one.**

Nii los tiid. - **It is time.**

 **Khara** : Voth hi zu'u fenofan daar gron. - **With you I will give this bond.**

Fah do fi, dii yolos los mul. - **Because of you, my flame is stronger.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Alrighty, not much happened in this chapter I guess. We meet Orgrim and if you know from, where I took the name then you are awesome. I was struggling a little on how to write the part with Khara's past and all, but I hope it's not too confusing to understand where or when that happened.

Also, when Serana get some of Khara's memories, well, it looks a bit chaotic, but I was going for that so, yeeeeah.

I like to take little things from other places and place them in my story. Things from movies, TV-shows, games and books. Some of you might have spotted the song that a totally took from Game of Thrones a few chapters back :3

I also have to say sorry.

"SORRY!" Zep yelled. The weather has been pretty great the last few days so I've been out on the roads with my sweet Akira (My motorcycle, yep that's her name). That's why this chapter is out so late.

I think the next chapter will be hard to write because I really don't like the falmer, I think they are boring and just not all that interesting, but I will probably get some idea on how to get through it.

As always, thanks to all the people who leave those sweet, sweet reviews on this story! Me like it very much!

I'll talk to ye' in the next one.


	12. Chapter 12

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 12_

 _New Friends_

Larak entered the circle with only a shirt and some leather trousers on. He moved his arms to the sides as he prepared himself for the fight. Serana was talking with Khara and Orgrim on the other side of the circle.

"He might not be the biggest orc, but don't let that fool you. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in agility, speed and smarts." Orgrim warned as he watched his chieftain get ready.

Khara patted Serana on her shoulder as she looked at Orgrim. "Well, Serana here might not look too strong either, but she is. You saw how easily she pulled that forsworn away from you earlier." Khara said.

"Hah, that was a surprised, I tell you." Orgrim grinned as he looked at Serana. "Go for his head, make him disorientated, then get him outside of the circle or down in the dirt." Orgrim said as he looked at Serana. The other members of the stronghold gathered around as they too wanted to watch the fight, mainly due to the fact that not a lot happens in the stronghold. A fight was always exciting to watch.

"The head, got it." Serana said with a nod as she smiled at the orc. Serana reached for Khara's arms and gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning around and entering the circle. Larak's eyes locked on her as she moved closer.

He grinned as she stopped a few feet in front of him. "Now, I normally don't hit women." He said.

Serana tilted her head a little before standing straight. "Same here, but for you I can make an exception." She said with a smirk as she shrugged her shoulders. Khara and Orgrim's eyes turned wide at the woman's words.

"Hah! Let's see if you impress!" Larak laughed out, he liked the woman's spirit. It was time to see if there was something behind those words or if they were just empty and meaningless. Larak charged towards Serana, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

Serana's eyes narrowed as she watched the orc move towards her. Time slowed down as she looked at him, the way his muscles moved under his skin, the way his legs moved as well as his arms. He favored speed over anything else, he wouldn't hit hard, but fast and often. He would try to drain her of her stamina, but little did he know, vampires have excellent stamina.

Serana had to smile as she easily moved out of the orc's path. Larak was fast, sure, but Serana was faster.

It had been a while since she last fought with her hands alone, no armor magic or weapons between her and her enemies. If anything, it was refreshing for Serana. The way she moved just enough to evade Larak's fists was captivating to Khara, it was almost like Serana was dancing. Her shoulders moved back, her legs carried her with ease as her hips leaned to the side, every part of her body aided in keeping her out of harm's way, it felt good to move like this, perhaps after all of this was over, she would train to become better at wielding swords? Yeah, perhaps.

"Damn it." Larak panted out. "You're fast." He said with an exhausted laugh as he tried to plant his fist in the woman's face again, but just as all the previous times, he failed.

Serana was pretty sure that it looked like she was playing with him, but she simply used his own tactics against him. He was now tired and breathing heavily, his stance was weak, his _legs_ were weak. _Time to finish this,_ Serana said in her mind. She moved to the side of the orc before she charged him.

Larak's eyes widened as the woman got closer, he pretended to move to the left before quickly launching his body to the right.

Serana saw it coming, but something within her told her to take it. Confused she failed to block the fist and it connected with her face. Larak smiled victorious, but it soon faded when he saw that the woman didn't recoil back, or fall, or anything, it was almost like it didn't hurt. Larak took a step back as he waved his hand in front of him, it felt like his fist hit stone and it hurt, a lot.

Serana straightened her body posture as she moved a hand to her lips, she tasted blood, her own blood. _It's been a while since I last tasted my own_ , Serana grinned as she felt a rush flow through her. This warm feeling emerged in her chest. Her eyes moved and locked with Khara's for a moment and her wolf only smirked and winked at her.A new form of energy entered her after she felt a tingle in her chest, her new energy was a little gift from her wolf. She didn't know how this whole thing with Khara worked, perhaps it was close to the blood-bond of vampires? It felt like it only worked one way though. She would have to talk with Khara about it later, even though she didn't think the wolf knew much about it.

Her gaze rose and met Larak's. No words were exchanged between the two, the only thing Serana did was grin at the orc. With all this new, exciting energy, she was eager to see just what she could do. _Time to show him what real speed looks like_.

She darted towards him, startling him by the sudden movement. He didn't have time to block the first fist, or the second, or the third, or any of them for that matter. She bowed down, dodged and jumped around the orc as she evaded every move he did, every time when he had summoned his strength to try and hit her, Serana would punch him. She was giving the orc a new understanding of the saying, _As fast as lightning._

They moved around in circles as they blocked the other's attacks, some went through and some didn't. After a little while Larak had managed to hit Serana a few times, but if anything, it only fueled her to move faster.

Larak used his remaining strength and sent his fist flying towards Serana. With only one hand she grabbed the orc's wrist, she turned around and as she did so, she brought his arm over her shoulder. When she was fully turned around, she bowed a forward while still holding his arm, which sent the orc flying over her shoulder and down into the ground, hard.

" _Ugh…_ " Larak grunted as his eyes were clenched shut. The move had forced all the air out of his lungs.

A drum could be heard before Orgrim yelled. "Time's up!" He entered the circle with some other members and help their chieftain up. The rush the Serana had felt faded away and was replaced with exhaustion.

Serana was breathing hard as she walked over to Khara and used her wolf as support. She placed her forehead on Khara's shoulder as Khara's arm held her in place. "I've never seen you move so fast before." Khara whispered.

"I didn't think I could move _that_ fast. I just felt this rush." Serana mumbled as she moved her head back to look Khara in the eyes. "I felt this feeling in my chest again." She said as she narrowed her eyes at the wolf. "You did something, didn't you?" She asked with a low voice. It was first now that Serana noticed that Khara too was breathing hard, her heartbeat was razing too.

"It felt like I was with you, fighting." Khara said as she looked into orange, glowing eyes. "In the second he first hit you, it felt like I was there with you." Khara's eyes fell to Serana's lips. "We have to talk with Odahviing about this when we see him, I don't know anything about this-." Khara moved her hand back and forth the two. "Bond my aspect created between us." The wolf said as her eyes moved up and locked with Serana's, who smiled and nodded at her.

They both turned towards the sound of footsteps. Larak and Orgrim walked towards them. "You lasted the required time." Larak said as his eyes found Serana's. "Not only that, but you also gave me quite the fight, it's been a while since I've been forced on my back in the circle." Larak said as a smile appeared on his face. "By the code, I name you both blood-kin to Mor Khazgur. Don't be strangers, you have friends here." He then grimaced a little. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have a broken rib." He said with a chuckle as he turned to walk inside his longhouse.

Serana's eyes widened a little, she turned to Orgrim. "He's not angry with me, is he?" She asked a little worried.

Orgrim looked at Serana and let out a laugh. "Of course not! If anything, he's impressed." Orgrim said with a nod. "It's rare that he falls in a fight. You gave him a good fight, Serana. He has no reason to have any ill thoughts towards you." He said with a reassuring smile. "I have to watch the walls tonight, make yourself at home at my hut. I'll take you to a cave tomorrow morning, if we're lucky, it's the one you're looking for." He said as he patted both women on their shoulders as he moved between them and towards a watch tower.

* * *

Serana was sitting in a chair, a very comfortable chair, as Khara was getting rid of all the dirt on her face, neck and the part of her chest that her clothes didn't cover. She did have a few bruises on her face, but they would soon fade.

"Serana, sit still." Khara chuckled as Serana moved her head away from the wet rag.

Serana smirked. "Make me." She challenged as she leaned back in the chair, making it harder for Khara to clean her.

Khara let out a low, deep growl as she looked at Serana. Khara rose from her seat and moved closer to Serana. She moved a hand to the woman's chin, tilting her head up so that their eyes met. As she held the woman's eyes she moved closer and sat down in her lap, wiggling a little so that they were as close as possible.

Khara moved the rag back up to Serana's face and started cleaning again. Her eyes followed her hand as it moved around. She knew Serana was looking at her eyes, but she wouldn't let their eyes meet, not yet. She moved the rag down to her neck, she cleaned her collarbone before letting it go lower.

"I can do it myself you know…" Serana mumbled as her eyes moved to Khara's lips.

Khara shrugged her shoulders as she ran the rag over Serana's chest, she saw that Serana was breathing a little heavier now. "Do you want me to stop?" Khara asked in a low voice with one eyebrow raised as she moved the rag back up her throat, slowly.

Serana's arms found Khara's thighs as she opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words as Khara placed the rag on the table next to them and moved her hand to Serana's chin again. Her thumb brushed over Serana's lower lip. Serana's eyes moved back up Khara's face and met blue eyes.

Khara smiled before capturing Serana's lips with her own. Her warm hand moved from the vampire's chin to her cheek as her other hand rested on her shoulder. Khara bit down on her own tongue, making it bleed a little, before sliding it over Serana's lower lip, asking for entrance.

Serana opened her mouth and was pleasantly surprised. Their tongues danced together as Serana's hands moved down to Khara's ass, squeezing as she moved her lips harder against her wolf's. Khara let out a little shriek as she pulled back the tiniest bit and rested her forehead against Serana's. "You should drink." She said as she nudged her nose against Serana's.

Serana hummed as she placed one more sweet kiss on warm lips before moving to Khara's cheek, then her jaw before finding her warm neck, leaving a trail of kisses as she moved. She let her fangs sink down into the warm skin, letting the warm liquid enter her mouth. She felt Khara shiver, her wolf also let out a low moan, only for Serana's ears to hear. Serana removed her fangs and licked over the bite marks, very slowly.

"Stop." Khara whined.

"Oh? I thought you liked it." Serana whispered seductively as she placed a wet kiss over the warm skin.

"I fucking love it, but if you continue, I will be forced to rip off your clothes." Khara said with a low voice, it sounded like she was growling, and it sounded extremely sexy.

Serana smirked before dragging the tip of her fangs down to Khara's collarbone. "How is that a bad thing?" She asked.

"We're guest here, Serana." She panted out, hoping that Serana would understand what she was talking about. Hopefully she would, because right now, Serana was torturing her. Serana used her fangs and nibbled on Khara's collarbone, making the wolf squirm a little. "Gods, I love your fangs."

Serana let out a deep chuckle. "Oh, I've noticed." She let her lips travel back to her wolf's neck.

 _Talking about fangs…_ "I-I've been t-thinking…" Khara said, but Serana made it hard to speak.

"About?" Serana moved back to rest her forehead against her wolf's.

Khara looked into orange eyes. "About what Falion said, back at Morthal." She said. She wasn't sure how Serana would react to this.

Serana leaned back in her seat, eyes locked with Khara's as the words echoed in her mind. _Is she…?_ Serana's eyes widened a little as she looked at Khara. "Are you…?" She whispered.

Khara placed her head on Serana's shoulder. "When all this is over." Khara said as she gave a little nod. "Is that okey?" She asked with a low, small voice. She was worried that this was something Serana wouldn't like, why? She wasn't sure.

Serana smiled as she hugged her wolf. "If that's something you want, then I'll gladly give it." She said because, holy mother, Khara was asking to be turned. She wanted Serana to turn her, to share her blood with her. This was something Serana had wanted for a long time, she had never turned anyone before, because it could be very intimate for some vampires. The thought of sharing her blood with Khara, to turn her, made Serana's mouth water. "But are you sure?" She asked.

Khara smiled as she closed her eyes. "Yes, over the last few days I've realized something." She said with a low voice. "I want to experience so many things with you."

"Anything you want." Serana said as she rested her head against Khara's.

"I want to dance with you as the sun sets, I want to wake up with you next to me every morning, I want to hear you sing." Khara said and she began to laugh. "Gods it sounds so dull when I say it out loud." Serana joined in on the laughter before guiding Khara's lips back on her own. Khara hummed as their lips moved against each other. "I just want to have as much time with you as possible."

"You should know by now…" Serana mumbled against her lips before continuing. "That there isn't a thing in this world I wouldn't do for you." The way she said that sentance, the amount of feelings imbedded in those words made Khara's heart feel like it was going to explode.

Khara moved a hand to Serana's cheek as she pressed her forehead against the woman's. She closed her eyes and used all her energy, all her focus and tried her very best to let Serana know just how she makes her feel.

Serana let out a shaky breath as a new kind of warmth entered her, similar to how she felt after she had fed on Khara, but it was still a little different. She was forced to smile, she didn't know what was going to happen in the coming days, but she was grateful that she wouldn't be alone. She had never felt this connection before, this bond. To feel so safe and trusted by someone else was a feeling Serana would need more time to get used to, it was all so new to her still. The looks she shared with Khara, the smiles, the feelings, the touches, it was all so different from what she was used to.

"We should get some sleep." Serana whispered as she ran her hands up and down Khara's back.

Khara opened her eyes and looked at Serana, the wolf's eyes were soft, warm and full of love. "In a moment." Khara whispered back as she pressed her lips on Serana's once more. Their kiss was sweeter this time, more gentle. It wasn't rushed or forced, it was perfect. Something about this kiss felt more intimate for the two, it felt more passionate than before, there were nothing hidden behind it or thoughts of it leading to other acts of devotion. It was a slow, pure, sweet kiss, a promise that no matter what happens, they'll have each other.

* * *

"It's not far now." Orgrim said as he led the two over to the mountain. "If you're lucky this is the cave you're looking for, there are many around of course, but I got a feeling that this is the one." He explained as he climbed over a fallen tree.

They had walked for little over an hour now, maybe two even. The terrain made it difficult to travel, they were glad that they chose to leave their horses behind, the poor steeds wouldn't have a chance to move around here. There are small, sharp rocks pointing in all directions, roots, who's only task are to make people fall and trip. And of course, there are trolls, sabre cats and bears around who's very hungry. Oh, and don't forget about the natives of the Reach, the Forsworn.

They met a few animals and natives, but a werewolf with the soul of a dragon, a pure-blooded vampire who have mastered the mysteries of destruction magic, and a brute of an orc who can actually throw a sabre cat over his head, well, they were never in any real danger, really. If anything, the gods pitied the ones who were in their way.

Orgrim stopped for a moment as he looked around the area, this is where the cave should be if his memory serves him right. He looked at the stone in front of him, they were at the base of the mountain now, it looked like a stone wall. There were veins from some trees and other plants hanging down the mountain side, covering the stone.

Orgrim moved his hand towards the plants and moved them to the side. He smiled when he saw that this was indeed the entrance to the cave. "I was wondering if I had brought you two to the wrong place. Damn plants grow fast." He said with a low chuckle. He turned around and looked at the two. "This is as far as I can take you, I am needed back at the stronghold, but…" He grabbed his bow and quiver from his back and held it out for Khara to take. "I sense that you know how to use these?" He said with a sly smile. "I can't go in there and help you, but at least, with these, I can offer some sort of assistance."

Khara's eyes widened in excitement, a silly smile plastered on her face. She grabbed the bow and quiver and looked at the orc. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah, if you don't accept it as payment for saving my life, then accept it as a gift from a friend." He said as he smiled at the both of them. "You two are very welcomed to visit the stronghold."

"Thank you." Serana said for the both of them.

The orc nodded before speaking. "I'll cover our tracks on my way back, no one will know you're here." He said as he stepped to the side, letting the women inside the cave. "Be careful, trolls aren't the only things who dwell inside these caves." And with that, he let the vines and plants cover the entrance once more, leaving the two alone in darkness.

Khara and Serana had let Orgrim know about why they were here in the first place. They told him a little about why there where here, but they chose to not say too much. It wasn't that they didn't trusted the orc, because they did. They chose not to tell him too much because they didn't want to put him in danger. For all they know, Harkon had spies in every corner of Skyrim, maybe he even knows that they have read the Scrolls. Most likely he did know, maybe he had already sent more vampires after them, only time would tell.

Because of Serana's vampire sight and Khara's eyes, they didn't need any form of light source in order to navigate with in the cave. It was dark and dank, and smell wasn't the greatest. With Khara's nose being the most sensitive of the two, she could help but wrinkle her nose as she narrowed her brows. "Oh gods." Khara moved a hand to cover her nose. "What kind of twisted creature can make such a fucking horrible smell." Imagen that a troll ate a skeever, threw it up, ate I again only to shit it out, then roll around in it. That's what she was smelling right now, it was a fucking disgusting scent.

Serana looked over at her wolf. "I smell it too, but I imagine it being ten times as worse for you." Serana said with apologetic eyes. She patted Khara on her shoulder. Khara smiled at the gesture as they continued further into the unknown. They entered a little opening in the cave, water was falling down from the ceiling. They walked past it, the sound of water however, didn't disappear. They approached another opening, but this one had a bridge hanging over what could only be explained as a river, there was a solid stream of water flowing beneath it.

"This doesn't really look solid now, does it?" Khara said as they looked at it. Khara took another step towards it, but Serana grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

"You're not checking it out, that bridge won't hold." Serana said as she looked over to the other side. "I don't see where we're supposed to go from here." She said. Khara followed her gaze, she too didn't see a path or another tunnel or anything.

"That's odd, where else are we supposed to go?" She asked, she took a step to the side before inhaling. "WULD NAH KEST!" She shouted, making it so she flew over the drop and landed safely on the other side. She turned to look at Serana, the woman had one hand on her hip and her head tilted to the side, it looked like she tried to look annoyed, but Khara saw that smile. She winked to Serana before looking after a path or maybe a hidden lever that would make the way they needed to take more obvious.

"Anything?" Serana asked.

"No…" Khara said as she straightened up and scratched the back of her head, this was a little confusing. Why would someone put a bridge in here if it didn't lead to anywhere, it just didn't make sense.

Serana was also finding the whole thing weird for sure. She thought about what they could do, maybe they walked past a hidden tunnel or something? She continued to retrace their steps in her mind, but the sound of the water flowing beneath them made it difficult to concentrate. _Wait…_ Serana walked over to the edge of the fall and looked down, her eyes widened as she saw what looked like a tunnel. It must have been created by the flow of the water over the time period of a thousand years at least.

"Khara." Serana said as her eyes scanned the water below. "I think we have to jump."

The wolf looked at Serana. "WULD NAH KEST!" She was now standing next to Serana. She leaned over the edge and she too saw where the water disappeared. She nodded. "I think you're right." She responded.

Serana let out a breath as she turned her head to look at Khara. "Well, we've come this far..." She said as she shrugged her shoulders and raised a hand to Khara.

Khara smiled as she grabbed her hand. "Why stop now?" Khara finished as they took a step closer to the edge. She shook her head. "This is going to be freezing." She mumbled as she felt her heartrate increase at the thought. Serana gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Khara nodded as she inhaled. They took a second to prepare before jumping down into the _very_ cold water.

In the moment Khara's body submerged into the water, her senses heightened. She felt everything, the rocks underneath them, the coldness surrounding them, but most importantly, she felt something squeeze her hand. _Serana_. As the water pushed them further into the cave, Khara pulled Serana closer, not letting go no matter how many rocks and gods knows what else they hit on their way. Khara pulled her closer, using her own back as a shield for the two, her custom ebony armor just had to take it, because there was no way in Oblivion she was letting go of Serana.

It was disorientating, they bounced off wall after wall, hitting rocks, sticks and logs. They managed to get to the surface at one point, finally getting some air, but it didn't last for long as they made their way over to a waterfall.

They didn't land in the water this time though. Khara had managed to move them to the side just before the drop, making it so they landed on few rocks, or Khara landed on the rocks and Serana on top of her.

Khara was breathing heavily with eyes closed as Serana turned around in her arms. "Are you-" She panted. "You okey?" Serana looked at Khara. Her wolf's eyes were clenched shut, almost as if she was in pain.

Khara opened her eyes and smiled weakly at the woman on top of her. "Yeah, never been better. Just a hard landing is all." She said as she tried to wink, but failed. "Besides, you're on top of me, so I'm not complaining." She said with a shaky laugh.

Serana smiled as she led her head fall to Khara's chest. "You're so stupid, you know I heal faster that you and yet, you do these things."

"Eh, what can… I say? I'm protective… of ye'." The wolf was still breathing hard, they had held their breath for maybe two minutes. "I am however, very fucking cold right now." She said. Making a fire would be a very good idea.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Serana asked. Khara had been sitting still in front of the fire for a while now, not moving a muscle or saying a single word.

"Still cold…" She mumbled. "Can't you come closer?" She asked. She had removed her armor when Serana had made the fire, luckily for them, there was a lot of sticks and such around, making it easy for them to feed the flames.

Serana sent her a weak smile. "You know that won't help, I don't produce any heat, Khara." Serana said as she tilted her head. Serana was leaning back against the stone wall, they had been there for maybe an hour now. Her clothes were now dry, so was Khara's.

"Oh, fuck that." Khara mumbled as she rose from where she sat, she walked over to Serana, who sat on the other side of the fire, and sat down in Serana's lap. She got comfortable and hugged herself as she rested her head under Serana's chin. "This is better." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

 _Agreed_. Serana smiled as she brought her hands to pull Khara closer. Even though she thought that Khara should stay away from her right now, she couldn't find it in her heart to push Khara away. She wanted them to be close too, it felt good, like it was the most natural thing in this unnatural world. They count stay away from each other for long, they were like magnets, they were drawn to the other. Both had experienced horrible things in their life's, some may even call them broken due to things they have seen, done and felt. Maybe they are broken, into small, shattered pieces, but their pieces fit together perfectly.

"You said you wanted to hear me sing earlier?" Serana asked.

"Yes, I've wanted that since we met." Khara turned her head a little before speaking again. "Don't you dare sing now." She warned. "I want you to sing at the Throat of the World, in the tower of the Greybeards during the night, when the lights dance in the skies." Khara said with a smile at the thought.

Serana ran her fingers through Khara's hair as she smiled at her wolf's words. "What if we get there and there's like a really bad storm, clouds and all." She asked amused.

"Then I'll shout the skies clear for you." Khara said back in an instance with a light chuckle.

Serana wondered if Khara actually meant that, she probably could shout the skies clear. "You can actually do that, can't you?" She asked with a small smile playing at her lips. Khara only hummed as she moved her head to hide in the crook of Serana's neck.

As they sat in the cold cave, the only form of heat was coming from the fire, they started to talk more about the task at hand, getting Auriel's bow. After sitting for a little while longer, Khara got back in her armor and they walked further into the cave. A few spiders were all they met, they spotted two trolls, but there was no need in attacking them when they could easily be avoided.

As they sneaked past the trolls, they spotted something in the distance, it looked there was some kind of structure at the other side of the cave, but that wasn't all, there was someone next to the structure.

As they walked closer and the person turned around to look at them. It was a male, but he had an elvish look to him, yet Khara couldn't seem to place what race he belonged to. The elf took a step closer to them. "Come forward. You have nothing to fear here, I won't harm you." His voice was smooth and calming. Khara and Serana shared a quick look before walking closer to the elf.

In the second Khara could get a clear view of his face, she felt like a rock hit her in the head as a voice entered her mind. _He will guide you path a head_ , is was the same voice that she had heard when she had read the Scrolls back in Ancestor Glade. She landed on Serana as she whispered to her. "Mer of ice." Was all she managed to get out. She shook her head as her mind was her own once more.

Serana looked and held Khara for a moment before looking at the elf, her eyes widened when she understood what Khara had tried to say. "You're an Snow elf." She said amazed, she knew that they were believed to be extinct, that their entire race was enslaved by the Dwemer, truing the race into the Falmer.

The mer smiled at her as he gestured for them to come closer and share his fire. "It brings me joy that there are still some who would call me that. Many choose the word _Falmer_." He walked over to one of the chairs. "I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor. I welcome you to the Great Chantry of Auri-El."

Khara looked at him for a moment. "This cave is the temple of Auriel?" She asked as she looked around, not very impressive.

Gelebor chuckled as he took a seat. "Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh … So many names for the sovereign of the snow elves." He looked at the two before continuing. "But no, this isn't the temple of Auri-El himself, it is only a small fragment."

Serana gestured for Khara to take a seat while she stood behind her wolf, after Khara had sat down, she turned her gaze to Gelebor. "I take it you know why we are here?" She asked.

The snow elf nodded. "Of course, you are here for Auriel's bow. It's the only reason anyone comes here." He responded. " I can help you get it, but there is someone who must fall in order for me to access the magical barrier protecting the bow." He said.

"Who? Who do we need to kill?" Khara asked.

Gelebor's eyes changed before he spoke. "I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur…My brother." He said, his voice a little lower this time.

"Your brother? Why?" Serana asked, what had happened between them for him to wanting his fellow elf dead?

"The kinship between us is gone. I don't understand what he's become, but he is no longer the brother I once knew. He has slayed innocents with in the temple, an act he swore to Auri-El himself would never happen." He let his gaze fall to the ground. Every time he must say those words, it hurts a little more. Khara and Serana isn't the first to enter the cave, and most likely, they wouldn't be the last. Maybe have come before them, all seeking the same thing, all meeting the same end. "It was the Betrayed…" He said, but noticed that the two women didn't quite understand what or who he was talking about. "The Falmer." He explained to them. "They did something to him, I just don't know why Auri-El would allow his own temple to fall into this, this shadow of what it once was."

Khara sat a little straighter in her seat. "What exactly did the Betrayed do?"

"They swept into the Chantry without warning and began killing everyone who was unfortunate enough to be in their path. The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship. I lead a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers, one by one my fellow mer fell until I was the only one left standing." He let out a little breath. "After that, they stormed the Inner Sanctum where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur."

"Alright, so how do we get to your brother?" Serana asked.

His eyes rose to meet Serena's. "Let me show you." He rose from the seat, and when Khara and Serana walked over to him, he smiled as he led them over to the small structure. He summoned some sort of spell in his hands before casting it at the top of the structure. The ground shook a little before the structure rose up from the ground, revealing more of itself.

"This is known as a wayshrine. They were used for mediation and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to out initiates." He explained as the two women let their eyes roam what were in front of them, neither have seen anything like it before.

"What's that basin in the center signify?" Serana asked.

"Well, once the initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at the wayshrine's center and proceed to the next wayshrine. Once the initiate's enlightenment was competed, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Pouring the contents of the ewer into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself."

"Your brother." Khara said.

"Correct." He said with a nod.

"All that for just dumping it out? Makes no sense to me, I take it it's symbolic?" Gelebor nodded with a smile, it was rare for outsiders to guess that is was an act of faith. "So, we have to do all that in order to get to Vyrthur, then kill him. All that in order to get the bow?" Serana should have known that it wouldn't be easy, nothing ever is.

"I know how it sounds, but if there was another way I'd done it centuries ago. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the initiates' footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first lay at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment. There are five wayshrines in total, spread far apart across the Chantry."

Khara's eyes widened. "These caves must be massive." She said.

Gelebor chuckle at her. "The Chantry encompasses far more than a few caves, as you'll soon discover." He said with a smile as he took a step closer to Serana. "You'll need the Initiate's Ewer, here." He handed Serana the ewer. "I'm afraid that my duty to Auri-El makes it so that I cannot leave my position here, you will be on your own until Vyrthur has been dealt with." And with that he walked back over to his station as the women had no questions for him.

Serana looked at the ewer in her hand before turning her gaze to her wolf. "You ready for this?" She asked with a small smile, they were getting closer to the end of this damn prophecy now, soon they could just lay it all behind them.

"Let's go and get enlighten." Khara said as she walked into the wayshrine. What seemed like a portal appeared in front of them and they walked into it. Now with being on the other side they could see that they were still in a cave.

"That…Well, if anything felt a little pleasant. Snow elf magic is truly unique." Serana said as she made sure that none of them were missing any arms or legs, it was normal when you dealt with portals, luckily for them though, they still had all their limbs still attached to them.

"You're right about that." Khara said as she looked around them, hands ready to grab her blade if anything or anyone tried to attack them. They walked further into the cave, both hoping that this wouldn't be too hard.

* * *

"Right, two down, three to go." Khara said as Serana filled the ewer.

The Chantry wasn't just a cave or caves, it was a whole valley, lost and forgotten by time. It was beautiful here, the plants, the landscape and the animals was out of this world, it was a frozen paradise, as Khara had said.

The place was also filled with falmer, but Serana and Khara had found a very effective way to deal with them. Serana would summon two Frost Atronachs and Khara would cast muffle on them. They didn't have a heartbeat, they didn't speak or smell, and make any other sounds except from when they walked. So, when under the muffle spell, the blind falmer never knew what hit them. It was a bit comical to watch, really. Falmer just standing there, then suddenly, they're flying through the air, letting out shouts of despair. The ones that the Atronachs missed was killed by Khara with her newly obtained bow.

They made their way thought the Chantry with ease, they kept with their plan, letting the Atronachs to most of the work. They didn't know just how powerful Vyrthur would be, so they saved their energy and played it safe.

* * *

"May the blessings of Auri-El protect you as you climb the road to the Inner Sanctum and final enlightenment." The specter said as it allowed Serana to fill the ewer.

"That's it, that's all the wayshrines." Serana said before letting out a little breath.

"Finally, I can see the end of this now." Khara said as she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. She opened her eyes and met orange eyes. "Let's go meet the Arch-Curate." She said as she locked her arm with Serana's.

"Yes, it's about time we finish this." She responded with a smile as they walked over to a bridge. As they walked across it, they could now she what had to be the Inner Sanctum, the Temple of Auri-El. The design of it was breathtaking, it was huge, tall and wide. It seemed old, incredibly old. "It's beautiful, imagine how this would have looked like back in it's prime." Khara said as her eyes were stuck on the sight in front of them.

"Yeah, it's incredible, I can't believe I'm seeing this, it's fantastic." Serana said, she too was amazed over the sheer size of the temple.

They walked over to what seemed like a statue of Auri-El. They walked past it and up some steps. There was a gate in front of the now and a basin to the side. "I think that's it, pour the water in that basin." Khara said as she walked over to the gate while Serana did as the wolf said.

After the ewer was emptied, the gates opened, allowing the two access to the Inner Sanctum. Khara waited for Serana to walk up to her before they opened the gates, together.

The Sanctum was almost as impressive on the inside was it was on the outside, pillars supported the structure. There were ice statues spread all around the room they were now in, it looked like they were falmer, frozen in ice. It all looked like it was out of a horror story, the statuses held onto weapons, scrolls, portions and other items. Both Serana and Khara agreed that they wouldn't touch them thought, it was a trap for sure.

They walked, carefully past the frozen falmer and entered room after room, they were pretty far into the Sanctum now. They had to jump down a little drop in order to continue, when they did however, they could see a room in front of them that seemed light than the others. There was also a throne in the room, bit more importantly, someone sitting on that throne.

Khara grabbed her Blade and Serana readied herself, summoning her magica, neither of them knew what would happen now, but one this the did know was this, the person sitting on the throne was Vyrthur.

Serana placed her hand on Khara's shoulder, letting her wolf know that she is ready and with her. Khara nodded and started to walk down the narrow path. When they entered the room, Vyrthur's gaze fell upon them.

He tilted his head before speaking. "Did you really come her expecting to claim Auriel's bow?" He said, his voice full of anger and annoyance and, boredom? "Hah." He let out sarcastically. "You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me." He said with pride.

Serana narrowed her eyes at the elf. _Is he talking about me?_ Khara moved to stand between the elf and the woman she loved. "Give us the bow Vyrthur, lower the barrier around it and give it up, no one needs to die." Khara tried to reason with the elf, but had a feeling that he would want to make it as hard as possible for them to get the bow. She could almost sense the power he held, they had to be careful, this man was had so much anger in him, just waiting to be released.

The elf just chuckled at her words. "I have no desire to give you anything but your end, _Mortal_. You did as I wanted, which, I'm sorry say, means that your usefulness is at an end!" He roared.

Oh, how Khara wanted to just shoot the elf in the face with an arrow, sadly though, there was an ice barrier around the throne. Before Khara could think more about it, Vyrthur waved his hand lazily in the air and the frozen falmer around them broke out of their ice prisons and charged them.

Serana let out a hiss as one almost planted its sword in her chest.

"No! I need her alive you fools!" Vyrthur roared at his minions, who only grunted in response to their master.

Serana summoned two fire Atronachs to aid them with the falmer. Khara used her Ebony Blade and sliced through what seemed like endless waves of mindless falmer. She was grateful for the enchantments that the Blade held, without it she should have been struggling to keep her stamina on a balanced level throughout the fight.

Serana used her fire magic to form a small circle of flames around her, making in near impossible of the falmer to get to her without getting badly injured. Khara and Serana moved together and used blade and spells to defeat their enemies.

"An impressive display, but a wasted effort. You delay nothing but your own deaths!" He roared as he pointed at them, more falmer approached, twenty of them at least.

"Serana, use fire storm!" Khara shouted as she looked into Serana's eyes, she tried her very best to keep them both protected, but there were just too many falmer.

Serana was about to protest, but the look that in her wolf's eyes told her that Khara had a plan and she hoped that she did because using that spell so close to Khara would harm her. Serana dodged a blade as she summoned the spell in her hands, she was almost too exhausted to do it, but the managed it.

In the second before she released the spell, Khara jumped closer to Serana as she inhaled. "FEIM ZII GRON!" The sound of the shout sounded more powerful as Serana let go of the spell in her hand as the same moment as Khara let out the words. A fire storm erupted from Serana, killing all the falmer and even destroying the ice barrier around Vyrthur.

He moved his hand to protect his face before jumping off of his seat. "No! I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations!" A protective barrier surrounded him as he summoned a spell. "I will not be denied my revenge! Not by you or anyone!" The hatred in his voice made the words imbed themselves in the women's minds. The whole temple started to shake as he released his spell. The ceiling was falling down.

Khara's legs moved on their own, she moved over to Serana and forced the woman down on the ground as she placed herself over her, acting as a shield. Her shout was about to fade, but gods be dammed if she would let this elf harm her lover, as long as Khara was able to stand, she would sue all she had to keep Serana safe.

Pisces of the ceiling fell down on them, Khara shout was gone at this point, the only thing that provided a little protection to the wolf was her armor, that was badly damaged at this point. A piece hit her head, and her vison started to fade, her hold of the women beneath however, never weakened. The last thing Khara saw before she blacked out was Vyrthur running out to a balcony.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I decided to skip most of the forgotten vale stuff because that stuff is just boring really. I also left out the dragons that you meet at the frozen lake. When I first played Dawnguard I actually, somehow, managed to skip the dragons, I didn't even see the word wall. So, I guess it's possible for Serana and Khara to do the same.

We're gonna fight Vyrthur next chapter, I'll try to make it epic for you guys. I'm not sure what's gonna happen after that though, I don't have anything special planned. And that's how I like it. Most of the stuff that I write is made on the top of my mind there and then, that's why you might see a few mistakes here and there. When you've just spent a few hours writing 8k+ words you don't really want to go over them again, you just want to get it out there, hehe. I do go over the story on my phone thought, seems easier to spot mistakes there for some reason.

I am very happy on how this story have been going so far. I thought about what happens after the Dawnguard questline is finished and I've made up my mind. There is hundreds of great quests out there, along with interesting characters and lore, so I will keep writing after Khara have finished the Dawnguard quests, and don't worry, Serana will be right there with her.

Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who leave reviews, I'll see you all in the next one!

-Zep


	13. Chapter 13

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 13_

 _Before the storm_

Serana opened her eyes, she had expected to be hit by pieces of the ceiling, but it never came. She had been forced down on the floor. She turned her head to look what or who was over her. _Of course_. Her wolf was standing protectively over her, acting as Serana's barrier. She saw that Khara's eyes were clenched shut and every time a piece hit Khara's back, she would show her teeth and let out a short growl.

Serana moved from underneath Khara and stood up next to her wolf when the temple had stopped shaking. She saw that Vyrthur was out on the balcony, talking with himself or something. She turned her gaze back to her wolf and kneeled down as she placed a hand on the wolf's shoulder. "Khara?" She asked. "Are you alright, can you stand?"

 _Can we stand?_ Khara opened her eyes and inhaled, she lowered her head so that Serana wouldn't see the pain on her face. _Try to stand, goraan gein_. Khara nodded as she tried to lift herself up, but stopped when she felt waves of pain flow up and down her spine. _It fucking hurts_. She said to her aspects. _We have to get up, our mate cannot do this alone,_ her wolf aspect told her. _Geh, ignore the pain, you can deal with it later,_ her dragon aspect agreed with her wolf's. "Okey." Khara whispered. "I'm okey." She said a little louder this time.

Serana nodded at her as she helped her up, she saw that the back of her wolf's armor was badly damaged, but Khara showed no signs of being in pain. "Okey, good. Come on, we can do this. I know we can." Serana said with determination in her voice, it was all Khara needed to be able to push on. "He's up on the balcony." She said as they made their way over to the elf. Khara put her blade on her back and grabbed the bow given to her by Orgrim.

The balcony had two sets of stairs leading up to it, without the need to talk, Khara and Serana climbed the different stairs. The elf held his shoulder with one hand, Serana's fire spell must have hurt him. As the women got closer, he took a step closer to the edge of the balcony, it looked like he was trying to jump down towards his throne again, but he stopped when he saw that they were on both sides of him.

He growled at them as they approached him. "I have spent centuries planning this, I will not be denied my vengeance." He spat as he moved. Khara took a few steps back, not wanting the elf to get too close now that she was wielding a ranged weapon. He looked over at Khara who had her bow ready in hand, if he would try anything, she would stop him. If he as much as moved a muscle, he would be rewarded with an arrow to his chest.

He did try however. He grabbed his dagger and made to move towards Serana, he thought she would be an easy kill, but before his dagger met its target, Khara let het arrow fly at him, hitting him in the hand that was holding his damaged shoulder, locking it in place. The dagger dropped down to the stone floor as his hand moved to try to remove the arrow. He staggered over to the stairs, as he was struggling to remove the arrow that went through his hand and into his shoulder.

Serana ran up to him and kicked him down the stairs, the arrow snapped as he rolled down the stairs, freeing his hand. He got on his knees and looked over to the throne room, Serana's fire Atronachs blocked the path back into the throne room however. There was nowhere to go, if he wanted to get out of this with what the desired, then he would have to fight.

He stood up and spat out some blood before summoning a spell in each hand, he was not going to go down quietly. He was ready to fight to the end.

Serana and Khara walked over to the edge, looking down at the blood covered elf. Khara readied another arrow while Serana prepared her magica. They were above him in height, they would make arrows and spells rain upon him if he tried anything. And yet, the elf didn't lower his spells, he was ready to give his all.

Serana shook her head at the man, could he not see that it was over? "Enough Vyrthur, we have the high ground, give us the bow." Serana said as gestured her hand to her side, trying show him that it was over.

"You underestimate my power, _girl_. I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, I had the ears of a god!" He spat at her with anger and hatred dripping from his voice. While Serana and Vyrthur had their little talk, Khara walked down the stairs, ready for this to be all over with.

"Until the _Betrayed_ corrupted you, yes, we've heard this sad story." Serana said as she slowly paced back and forth to the side, just in case he would try to cast one of those spells.

Vyrthur let out a short, cold chuckle. "Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, you can see what I am, can you not?" He asked the woman as he straightened in body posture, grimacing at the pain it caused him.

Serana narrowed her eyes as her eyes locked with the elf's. Vyrthur took a few steps back, his eyes moving between Serana and Khara. Serana's eyes widened when she saw that is eyes were similar to her own. _He's a…_ "Vampire? You're a vampire?" She asked surprised. Now this was not what she expected.

Khara looked at the elf, she too was surprised. "But Auriel should have protected you." Khara said from the side, still moving in an attempt to get behind the elf.

Vyrthur moved a hand to hold his damaged shoulder again as he followed Khara's movements. "The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me." He said as she turned back to look at Serana. "I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter the cost."

Serana let out a low huff at his words. "You want to take revenge, on a god?" Serana said in disbelief, this elf had big dreams.

"Auri-El himself might be beyond my reach, but his influence on this world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a daughter and his own weapon, Auriel's bow." He spat, he was breathing heavily now as blood made its way down his chest.

Khara's eyes lit up at his words. "You, it was you! You created this prophecy!" Khara shouted with anger, her mind raced with thoughts as she felt her wolf aspect paced back and forth as it was letting out a frustrated growl.

Vyrthur smirked at her, blood rolling down his chin. "A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient…The blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour." He said as he looked into Serana's eyes.

Serana felt anger rise within her. "You were waiting for all this time for someone with my blood to come along." She was furious at this point, all of this pain, loss and hardship because of this single elf. "Well, too bad for you…I intend on keeping it." She said with a hiss as she readied her magica.

"I guess I'll just have to take it then." He said with a hiss of his own. He let one spell fly towards Khara, a wall of frost stormed towards her.

 _Fuck_. Khara jumped back as she just managed dodge the spell. Her back was making it hard to move around, the pain was getting harder to ignore.

Serana signaled to her fire atronachs to attack. They flew towards the elf, spinning in the air as it seemed like they were flying. They emerged with one another and created a ball of fire, just before the fire hit Vyrthur, it leapt down in into the stone floor, melting it in the second it made contact with it. The smelted stone flew up in the air towards the elf and landed on the lower part of one of his legs.

" _Agh!"_ He closed his eyes as he tried to move away from the heat. His leg however didn't move as it was now surrounded by the stone.

Khara moved closer to him as she threw away her bow and grabbed Nettlebane from the back of her belt while Serana casted a frost spell at the elf's leg, making the stone solid one more, as Khara sprinted towards him. He summoned a sword in his hands and blocked Khara's attack just before her dagger met his heart.

She punched him in his face with the hilt of her dagger as she moved him around, making the sword in his hand disappeared as he was more focused on the pain on face. Khara got behind him and forced hin down on a knee as she held her dagger to his throat.

Vyrthur moved a hand to hold Khara's arm, but stopped when he realized when it was no use. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. "I underestimated you two." He said in a tired voice. Khara's gaze rose and met Serana's, the elf sounded tired, the anger and ignorance in his voice gone.

Serana walked closer, trusting that Khara would end his life if he tried anything this time around. "The prophecy, Vyrthur." She said, wanting to gain his attention. The elf opened his eyes and his gaze met her as his head moved back, clearly exhausted. "How do we stop it?" She asked.

" _How do we stop it_?" He repeated with a low chuckle. He then shook his head at her. "There is no stopping it." He said as he turned his head to the side to spit out some more blood, black blood. He turned his gaze back to Serana. "As long as you live, so does the prophecy." He said as a grin appeared in his lips as he closed his eyes and lowered his head. Serana's eyes narrowed on him before looking at Khara.

"No one else knows about this, that your needed to fulfill it, Serana." Khara said as her grip on the elf tightened. Vyrthur hissed at the pain it caused him. The wolf's eyes fell to the elf. "We kill him and we kill the only one who knows of your part in it." She said, her eyes turning a shade brighter as she looked at him.

Serana was about to speak, but was interrupted when Vyrthur started to laugh, blood flowing out of his mouth. "But I am not the only one who knows." He opened his eyes and looked Serana straight in the eye. "I've spent centuries sending your father little visions of what the prophecy would be like, he knows of the sacrifice needed in order for those visions to become reality." He said. "I've turned and twisted his mind for so long, I'm surprised he still stands."

Serana took one last step towards him. Khara moved her dagger and aligning the tip of it down the back of his spine as Serana's hand took its place and held his throat. "You did that to him." She said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She shook her head as she held his eyes. "You destroyed him and turned him into what he is today." She moved her gaze to look at Khara, she nodded to her wolf.

Khara understood what she wanted, and gladly obliged. She let the dagger sink into his flesh, slowly. He shook as more blood left his mouth. Right before he died however, he had the guts to smile at Serana. _As long as you live, so does the prophecy_. His words echoed in Serana's mind as she watched the elf fall over.

Khara walked over to a wall and leaned against the stone wall as she slid down and sat. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back and inhaled deeply. Her back was killing her, the amount of pain was unreal, but she kept the act going, Serana didn't need to worry about her right now.

Both were out of breath, traveling for so long, fighting endless waves of falmer and not having the chance to rest, eat, drink or sleep, well, this had been a test of their stamina. They did manage to do the task, but just barely. The fight with Vyrthur might now have been the most difficult fight, but due to their exhaustion, it was difficult enough.

Serana turned her head to look at Khara. The wolf opened her eyes and turned to look back at Serana with a small smile at her lips. They both started to laugh lightly, finally they would get the bow. They sat there for a little while, not speaking or making any sound, just enjoying the other's silent company.

A sound appeared at the wayshrine that was in the middle of the balcony and Gelebor emerged from the structure. He walked out and looked around before spotting the two women, and his dead brother. He walked over to them, his eyes tried to stay away from his dead kin, but it was proving difficult for him. "So, the deed had been done. You've done your part, and done it well." He said, his voice low, yet held strength to it. "With Vyrthur dead, the wayshrine now works, I'm glad the Betrayed no longer have control over him."

Khara stood up, with the help of Serana, and walked closer to the elf. "The Betrayed weren't to blame." She said as she looked Gelebor I the eye.

"What? What are you talking about?" He asked as he took another step closer to the two.

"It's true, Gelebor. Vyrthur was a vampire, he controlled them, not the other way around." Serana said from where she stood next to Khara.

"A vampire…" He let the thought travel through his mind. "I see. That would explain much, now that I think of it. It brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for what happened here, it only proves that maybe one day, they might shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once again." He said as a smile made its way on his face. He lowered his head to look at the ground. "My thanks, to the both of you, once again I feel hope for my kin." He said as he rose his gaze to look at the two.

Khara smiled as Serana gave the elf a friendly nod.

"You two risked a lot to get Auri-El's bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry." He said as he rose his hand in the air, a blue light came to life in his palm. The light turned brighter, making it so that the two women have avert their gaze from it. When the light faded they turned their gaze back and could see that there was a bow in his hands now. "I can't think of more deserving champions to carry it than you two." He said with a warm smile, he was glad that the weapon would be theirs, he knew that their hearts were pure and that they would use the bow to do good.

Khara turned her head to look at Serana with big eyes. Serana only chucked as she nodded for Khara to take it, she didn't know how to use a bow anyways. Khara smiled as she accepted the bow, in the second her hand touched it, she could feel it's power as it traveled through her body as she held onto it a little tighter.

* * *

Now they had the bow, they had what they had been looking for. The question now however it what happens now? Vyrthur said that Serana's blood was needed to fulfill the prophecy, did Harkon know this? It that why he didn't want Serana to leave the castle when she had returned there? As long as someone knew about the prophecy, Serana's life would be in danger.

They had headed straight for Markarth after they left Gelebor in the Inner Sanctum to fetch their horses. They needed to get to Solitude, they needed to rest and Khara needed to repair her armor. As they rode, Khara would try her best to act as if everything was fine, when the truth was that she was worried that she might pass out due to the pain in her back. She had pulled on her hood, hoping that Serana wouldn't notice. Something must be on the vampire's mind, because if she was present with her mind she would have spotted right away that Khara was acting.

They got to Solitude with ease and entered Khara's house as soon as they entered the city. "I'll go down and fix my armor." Khara said quickly as she disappeared down the stairs. Serana's brows furrowed as her eyes followed her wolf's retreating form. She had been so busy with her thought that she just now noticed that something in Khara's voice was different, something felt off about it. Serana waited a moment before deciding on finding out what was going on.

She walked down the stairs, making sure not to make a sound, and entered the smiting room. Pieces of ebony armor and leather was falling down around the wolf, even though Khara was wearing a shirt, Serana's eyes spotted the skin on her wolf's neck and shoulders. Serana's eyes widened as she approached Khara. She gently placed a hand on Khara's back, which made the wolf flinch at the touch and take a step away from her as she turned around. Serana moved her hand back, shocked that her touch had made Khara act like that.

In the second their eyes met, Khara's eyes turned soft, her lips trembling a little. "I'm s-sorry, you just spooked me." She tried, but Serana wasn't having it.

Serana's eyes changed as she took a step closer to her wolf. "Turn around." She commanded.

Khara's eyes fell to the ground, but she did as Serana told her. She turned around and Serana helped her out of her shirt, which was very difficult for the wolf. As the shirt fell to the stone floor, Serana's eyes filled with sadness at the sight in front of her. Her wolf's back as in a deep red and black color, her entire back was badly bruised. "Why didn't you tell me?" Serana asked in a low voice as she moved a hand to hover over Khara's back, but she didn't dare touch the wolf, she was afraid of hurting her.

Khara turned her head a little, her gaze still stuck on the floor. "It wasn't important, we needed to focus on getting the bow." Khara said with a weak voice, it was a lazy excuse, but it was all she had.

"And after we got the bow, why didn't you tell me then?" Serana felt disappointed, why wouldn't Khara say this to her, why wouldn't let Serana help her?

Khara turned around and looked at Serana, but the woman wouldn't meet her gaze. "Because I think I know what you've been thinking about, Serana." Khara said as she took a step closer. "You have a very important decision to make." Khara said, and finally, Serana would meet her eyes. Serana's eyes moved between Khara's as a tear made its way down her cheek, her lips clenched shut. "If he knows about your part in the prophecy, then…" Khara's eyes fell to Serana's hand, she grabbed it and, gently, pulled the woman into her arms. Her pain would have to wait, Serana was dealing with something far worse. She wasn't sure what to say really, she was afraid that her words would come out wrong. "I…I won't let him do that to you." She settled on saying.

"I know…" Was all Serana managed to let out. Ever since she left the castle, the thought of fighting her father had been in her mind, but now the time was actually here and she needed to do it, she needed to kill him. The man he once was died a long time ago, but yet, every time Serana would look at the man, she could see the man he once was. The loving, caregiving father that she loved. What he was now was nothing but a shade of the past, he had turned into something terrifying, an evil being. If he was able to kill his wife, the love of his life, then it was possible that he could kill his own daughter. In his eyes, she would die for all vampires, and that was a sacrifice that he was willing to take, Serana was sure of it. "I know what must be done. And I'm…I'm prepared to do it." She said before letting out a shaky breath.

Khara nodded as she just held on to Serana. She didn't know what to say or what to do except being close to her.

"Vyrthur was the one who turned my father into what he is today." Serana said, her voice a little stronger. "He twisted his mind, I think my father died centuries ago. The one that walks within Volkihar Castle might have his face, but he is not my father." Serana said as she took a step back from Khara.

Khara was afraid that Serana was angry at her, but when their eyes met, those thoughts vanished.

"He deserves to have his rest." Serana let the thoughts of her father go to the back of her mind for now. She looked at Khara and smiled as she reached out a hand to her wolf. "Come, let's get fixed."

Khara let out a little whimper as she just walked into Serana. Her hands gripping the woman's side as she placed her forehead against the woman's chest. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Serana placed a kiss on the wolf's head. "It's okay." She whispered back. She moved a hand to the wolf's chin, making it so that their eyes met again. "Just don't do it again." Serana asked. Khara nodded, her eyes a little watery. Serana smiled as she brought her lips to Khara's.

* * *

"So, I was thinking about something." Serana asked as she placed some ebony ingots along with some leather on the table next to Khara, who was currently working the forge.

"Thanks." Khara said with a smile. "What were you thinking about?" She asked as she worked on her armor.

"Can you teach me how to fight with a sword?" Serana asked as she leaned again the wall next to Khara.

Khara's head flew up as her eyes filled themselves with excitement. She turned her head to look at Serana. "You want to learn how to use a sword?" She said with big eyes, her voice a little high pitched. Serana's eyes widened at the wolf's voice, she was not expecting such a reaction from the woman, it made her smile. Khara furrowed her brows. "Sorry, I'm just really happy that you want that. And that you want me to teach you."

Serana titled her head to the side as she watched Khara work the forge. After their little emotional roller-coaster earlier, Khara had agreed to go to the temple to get healed. Serana would have joined her, but temples, priest and such have always made her feel uncomfortable. Khara understood it though, she knew of Daughters of Coldharbour were created, she knew about the ritual. It was clear that Serana didn't like to talk about it, so Khara didn't ask.

Anyways, the wolf got healed fairly quickly. And after a little nap along with some food and drink, she was back to her old self.

Serana watched as Khara moved around the forge, creating new pieces and repairing old ones. It was interesting to watch, Khara was very skilled at working the forge. "You should get your shirt off." Serana said as a smirk played at her lips. "So, you know, it doesn't get dirty." Serana reasoned.

Khara smiled at her words as she kept her eyes on the metal in her hands. "I see your point." Khara said. She removed her shirt and threw it at the woman next to her. Serana laughed as the shirt landed on her face, she removed the shirt and as soon as her eyes fell upon the sight in front of her, her laughter faded.

There Khara was, wearing her undergarments and some leather trousers. She used a hammer to bend the metal to her desired shape, her muscles moving under her skin as the hammer clashed with the material. Sweat was appearing on her skin, making it look like her skin was glowing due to the light from the forge. "I can feel you staring at me." Khara said amused as she cut some leather into strips.

"I'm not staring, I'm appreciating." Serana defended.

Khara let out a low laugh. "I'm not complaining, it only means that I get to _appreciate_ you right back." Khara said as she turned her head to look at Serana. She wanted to continue this, whatever they were doing, but knew they needed to talk about Harkon. "Serana…"

Serana heard the change in the wolf's voice. "Yeah, I know." She said with a sigh.

"I don't think getting people with us would be the best idea, if we can somehow get into the castle, without Harkon knowing…" Khara trailed off, how would they manage to get to him without getting all the other vampires in the castle after them? "How many members belong to the clan?"

Serana thought about if for a little while. "Twelve, all turned by my parents, so they are stronger than the average vampire."

"Can we somehow get them all out of the castle?" Khara asked. "Vyrthur said that Harkon knows about the prophecy, maybe we can spread a rumor that we have the bow and all?"

"Yeah, but how do we made it so he sends them all?"

Khara's eyes lit up. "You write him a letter." Khara said as she turned her body to Serana. "Tell him that _I_ have the bow and that you need help in order to take it from me." Khara said as she took a step closer to Serana. "Tell him that you used me to get the bow for him." Khara told her. Serana's eyes widened at the wolf's words. "Say that I have it in the old fort to the east of Riften, he knows where it is. Tell him that I have a group of people there, guarding it and that you need help in killing them. Do you think he can believe that?" The wolf asked.

"I think that he is so lost in this prophecy that he won't even think about the possibility of me tricking him. When I left, I didn't give him anything that would make him believe that I wanted to stop him. Some of his minions might have reported back to him that I have killed fellow vampires, but I think I can make him believe that it was all an act to gain your trust. He won't leave himself, of that I'm sure, he likes to make others do the work for him." Serana said with a nod, this might just work. Serana did wonder though, where was all of this coming from? "Was this what you dreamt about the first night we shared here?" She asked her wolf.

Khara's eyes turned softer, how easily Serana could read her still amazed her. She gave a little smile as she held the woman's gaze. "It was." She said in a low voice. "But it was only a dream, Serana. I know that." Khara said as she offered Serana a smile. "Zu'u ov hi voth dii laas." Khara said, but when she saw that Serana narrowed her eyes, she shook her head. She let out a little laugh. "Sorry, I forget what tongue I speak in sometimes. I said that I trust you with my life, Serana. I always will."

Serana moved and brought her hands around her wolf, she closed her eyes as she rested her head on Khara's shoulder and inhaled the woman's scent. Fire and _pine needles_ , that's what her wolf smelled like, and she loved it. "You better teach me that as well."

"What, Dovahzul?" Khara asked as she returned the embrace. She felt Serana nod against her. "Gladly." She said.

As they pulled away from each other, Serana placed a kiss on the wolf's cheek. "I'll go and write that letter, we can go over it when it's done, make sure it sounds convincing."

Khara nodded as she squeezed Serana's arm. "Use the desk at in our bedroom, I'll join you once I'm done here." Khara said in a warm voice.

Serana felt a warmth enter her at the woman's words. Her smile grew as she looked at Khara. " _Our_ bedroom?" She repeated.

Khara's eyes widened when she realized what she had said. Her mouth opened, but she was struggling to find the right words. "I-I…." Khara stuttered.

Serana shook her head before claiming the wolf's lips, both smiled into the kiss. And with that, Serana left the wolf to finish her armor, but not before letting her eyes roam the woman's body once last time. Khara was still a little flustered over her own words.

Serana smiled as the climbed the stairs that would take her to _their_ bedroom. She sat down at the desk and grabbed a quill and paper. She let out a breath, time to write a letter to her beloved father.

* * *

 _Dear Father_

 _When I returned to Castle Volkihar I told you about my escape from Dimhollow Crypt, however I did not tell you the whole truth. I didn't escape the tomb by myself as I made you believe, I was rescued by a mortal, a very powerful mortal. Why I didn't tell you this from the beginning I cannot explain, but I hope that this letter can convince you to place your trust in me once again._

 _The mortal that freed me is known by the name of Khara, The Dragonborn. I've spent my time since I left the castle with her, because of her I have some good news for you. A few days ago, we obtained to get Auriel's bow, the weapon needed to complete the prophecy. And it is the reason why I write to you. I need help in order to get the bow from the Dragonborn, I have gained her trust, but she have placed the bow in Fort Dawnguard where it is heavily guarded by vampire hunter and other enemies of our clan. They know sun magic, father. I cannot hope to defeat them on my own, while dragons roam the skies above, making escape near impossible._

 _I apologize if I have acted as if I was the enemy, I am not proud of having slayed fellow vampires, but it was needed to gain the Dragonborn's trust. The last piece needed to make the world ours lies within the fort, send clan Volkihar and show them the power of Lord Molag Bal._

 _Serana_

Khara nodded as she finished to read the letter. "You've decently gotten down what he needs to do. It sounds convincing." Khara told her.

Serana leaned closer. "I just hope it's enough." Serana mumbled.

"It's perfect, you sound cold in this letter." Khara said, she knew that Harkon would fall for their little trick. "I think this will do." Khara said as she moved her eyes away from the letter.

Serana nodded. "So, we'll send it to him right before we leave?"

"Yes, if we send a raven right before we leave, it should reach the castle a few hours before we do. We'll hide in the fog until they leave, I'm sure I can rent a boat down at the docs." Khara told her as she moved so sit on the bed.

"Is everything ready then?" Serana asked as she moved in her chair to face Khara. The wolf moved back on the bed and lied down, working the forge for so long was tiring.

"Yeah, we should get some rest before we leave though, and you need to drink." Khara said from where she laid, eyes currently roaming the ceiling of the room. When Serana didn't respond, she sat up to look at the woman. Serana sat in the chair still, head resting on her arms as she just looked at Khara. The way the flames from the fireplace captured Serana's beauty made Khara's wolf aspect stop all its current actions in her mind, as it too couldn't help but stare. Her dragon aspect's chuckle echoed in her mind, they all agreed that the person in front of them would put Dibella herself to shame, Serana was the very definition of beauty.

Serana rose an eyebrow at the wolf. "Who is staring now?" She said amused.

Khara's smile grew at her words. "Not staring, Serana. _Appreciating._ " Khara said as her smile turned into a stupid looking grin, she was proud of using Serana's words against the her.

Serana rolled her eyes before getting up from her seat. And took off her clothes as she knew that they would get some sleep before leaving, and that was completely fine by her. She walked over to Khara, got into the bed and sat down on the wolf's lap, both arms hanging lazily over the wolf's shoulder. Khara's hands moved to Serana's lower back and pulled her closer. Their noses touched as their lips brushed against each other.

Serana's arms moved to cup both sides of her wolf's face. "You're so beautiful," She whispered, scared that if she said the words to loudly, she would wake up and realize that this was all a dream.

Khara nudged her nose against Serana's. " _You're_ the beautiful one." The wolf whispered back.

Serana's hands caressed her wolf's cheek. She moved one hand down to Khara's jaw, but she didn't stop there, she let it slide down to the wolf's neck where it continued its gently caress. Their foreheads met as their eyes closed. Serana inhaled again, smiling as she could finally recognize what the wolf smelled like. She remembered when they were back in Whiterun, she had thought that it was a flower, but no, it was pine needles.

This moment was, even though they needed to leave in some hours to fight, perfect. It was perfect. The warmth and light offered by the flames made the atmosphere so relaxing to the two. Both of them wanted time to just stop for a little while, there was something so incredibly comforting in being this close to another, both with their body and their mind.

Serana opened her eyes and met blue, soft non-glowing eyes. "Hey." Khara said to her in a low voice.

Serana smiled at their little greeting. "Hey yourself." She responded before she moved her head so that their lips brushed together again. Serana smiled when she heard that Khara inhaled deeply, her mouth slightly open. Serana dragged her lips across her lover's ones before taking Khara's lower lip between her own.

Khara's hands moved up Serana's back as she slowly fell back on the bed, taking Serana with her as she laid down, not letting their lips move away from each other. Their kiss deepened as Khara moved one hand to entangle itself with black, soft hair.

Serana could hear and feel that Khara's heart was beating faster as their lips danced together. She smiled into the kiss as she knew that her wolf's blood would taste even sweeter now. Serana moved her lips to the corner of Khara's lips, to her cheek, then to her jaw before finally finding the smooth skin of her wolf's neck.

Khara tilted her head to the side, allowing Serana more access. She smiled when Serana showered her neck with sweet, wet kisses. She loved this, she loved being able to provide for her lover, she also loved to feel those fangs.

Serana moved a hand down to Khara's stomach, her wolf hadn't but her shirt back on, leaving her stomach unprotected from Serana's gently, yet eager hand. She dragged her hand over her wolf's stomach, smiling even more when she felt how the muscles moved under her touch. She too loved this, she loved being able to make Khara's unto such a mess by a few touches. She knew she would enjoy this very much, so why not let Khara have her fun as well? Serana moved her thigh between the wolf's legs.

Khara let out a shaky breath when she realized what Serana was up to. Her hold on the woman lying on top of her tightened.

Serana smirked against her skin before sinking her fangs into the warm skin at the same time as she let her leg go a little higher before it stopped between her wolf's legs, making the wolf squirm beneath her as she let out a deep moan. Serana smiled as she sucked the divine blood into her mouth, while feeding she let her thigh press harder against Khara, making the woman hold on to her like her life depended on it.

Serana would be lying is she said she didn't enjoy herself as well. The way Khara's blood tasted was out of this world, she too had to let out a deep moan at the sensation, it tasted absolutely and utterly divine. Serana knew that nothing in existence could taste better, _nothing._ As she sucked one last time, she let her hand travel higher, to Khara's breast where she squeezed the warm, soft mound of flesh.

Khara arched her back as she found her release. A deep, guttural moan escaped her as the waved of pleasure flowed through her. Serana licked over her bite marks as she moved her hand to lay over Khara's heart. It was razing, Serana had never felt it eat this fast before. Khara moved her hand to Serana's cheek and guided the woman so that she could look at her.

Their eyes met again, both a few shades darker than normal. As Serana watch Khara, she felt that tingle in her chest again, it traveled down her body and settled itself between her legs. She started to breathe a little heavier as she saw Khara's eyes turn even darker.

Khara had caught Serana's scent, and her arousal. Khara smirked as she let a hand travel down Serana's side before letting it rest on her hip. She leaned up a little so that her lips were close to Serana's ear. "Remember when we first came to Solitude?" She asked, gods her voice was so husky and deep now, it made Serana feel a shiver run up her spine as she nodded in response, she didn't know how to speak right now.

"Good, because I remember promising you what years of practicing my Thu'um would feel like." Khara said as she let her lips brush against Serana's ear while slowing Turing Serana over on her back, making it so that she would be on top. As they moved around, Khara used her free hand to undo Serana's bra, throwing it to the floor.

Serana let out a shaky breath as she finally managed to speak again. "Y-you never _promised_ that you would do it." Serana found herself saying.

Khara shrugged her shoulders while kissing the woman's neck as she was now fully on top of her. "I may not have said it out loud, but I _did_ promise it." She said as she moved down Serana's body, making sure every inch met her lips. She moved one hand to remove the last piece of cloth left on the beauty beneath her.

Serana's finding it harder to breathe, she moved her hands to Khara's shoulder and back as she needed desperately to touch her wolf.

Khara smiled against the cool, smooth skin as her lips found Serana's breasts, giving both of them her full attention for a while, making Serana's breath hitch. The wolf continued on her path, moving down to Serana's stomach, placing wet kisses as she moved further down. She found Serana's hipbone and gently bit down on it.

Serana's hand found Khara's hair and grabbed onto it while letting out a hiss at the feeling. " _You sure act as if you have fangs_." Serana managed to let out, her voice deep and filled with want.

Khara hummed as she positioned herself between Serana's legs. " _Just wait till I get them_." She responded with a low voice of her own as she moved her lips to kiss the inside of Serana's thigh. The vampire let her head fall to the pillow as her eyes clenched shut. Khara let her fingers slide down the woman's legs as she moved one over her shoulder. She opened Serana's legs a little more as she moved closer to where Serana needed her most right now. She saw that one of Serana's hand were lying to her side, desperately gripping onto the covers. Khara moved a hand up to it and intertwined their fingers. The wolf's eyes roamed the body lying before her _, so beautiful_. " _Serana."_ She whispered. Serana moved her head to the side, she could _feel_ Khara's breath on her. She opened her eyes and met blue, dark ones. " _I love you."_ Was the last thing Khara said as placed a kiss directly on Serana's center. Oh, how the wolf was surprised, she thought that Serana smelled good, but by the gods, she tasted even better. Khara opened her mouth and moved her free hand to hold Serana in place as she brought out her tongue to help her on her current task, making Serana feel like she was floating.

Serana threw her head back as her eyes were forced shut, _by the blood._ Serana let out a high-pitched moan when she felt Khara's tongue move against her, her hold on the wolf's hand tightened even more when she felt that same tongue enter her.

Khara let her eyes move to Serana's face as she worked her magic. The was Serana moved her head to the side, struggling to lay still. The sight made Khara smile, she hummed against the woman, making Serana groan. The way Serana's chest moved up and down, the sweat that was making her skin glow, the sounds she was making, Khara would never get tired of it. She saw how Serana was biting her lower lip, she was getting close.

Khara moved her hand hat was holing Serana in place and moved to Serana's center, entering her with two fingers as she moved her lips to suck on the bundle of nerves. She was rewarded with the most wonderful sound that had ever reached her ears.

" _Khara…"_ Serana managed to let out, she needed to feel Khara's lips on her own, _now_. " _C'mere."_ She mumbled, not saying the words correctly as it was hard to speak due to what Khara was doing to her.

Khara moved up Serana's body, placing her hand that was holding Serana's over the woman's head on the pillow while still pleasing the woman with her other hand. Serana moved her free hand to Khara's neck and brought the wolf down so that their lips finally met. The vampire moaned into the kiss when she could taste herself on her wolf's lips, she never imagined that it would make her more aroused, but it did. Unable to control herself, she bit down on Khara's lip, making it bleed. Her wolf growled as she curled her fingers, hitting that special spot deep inside the woman lying under her, while still moving her lips against cool ones. Khara didn't care that Serana bit her, the woman could do whatever she desired with her.

Khara moved her lips from Serana's lips to her neck. She wanted to try something, and she was sure Serana would like it. She moved her hand harder against Serana at the same time as she bit down on her neck, slightly harder than before, making a mark.

Serana's body froze as she finally reached her release. Her grip on the wolf tightened as her mouth hang open, but no sounds escaped her mouth as she held her breath. Khara moved her hands up to Serana's side as she held onto the woman. After a moment, Serana finally dared to breathe again.

Khara moved back a little, admiring her mark on her lover while she could, it would fade in not too long. She saw that Serana moved a hand to feel the mark. "Practicing, are we?" Serana purred at her before leaning up and claiming warm, delicious lips. Serana removed Khara's bra as she wanted to feel that warm skin against her own. Khara hummed as she followed Serana back down. Their chest pressed together as did their lips, their kisses however, slowed down until they were too tired to move them. Khara chuckled and moved her head to rest on Serana's chest. "Your heart is beating so fast." Serana mumbled as her eyes felt heavy.

Khara hummed as she traced Serana's collarbone with a finger. "It's beating for you." Khara responded before placing one last kiss on Serana's neck. Serana fell asleep in that moment, with a smile at her lips.

Khara laid awake for a little while longer, the only sound she could her was Serana breathing. _No matter what happens tomorrow..._ Khara said in her mind. _We will protect her_ , her wolf and dragon aspect said with her in unison. She didn't know how powerful Harkon is, she didn't know how he fought with a blade, how he used his magica or how strong he is. But little did it matter, she would find out in a few hours anyways. She inhaled Serana's scent and let her eyes fall shut, allowing sleep to take her.

* * *

Khara raised her hand, letting only her index finger point out as she moved it closer to the raven. The bird looked at her finger for a moment before stepping on it, letting its small talons grip around the finger. Khara smiled as he brought the raven closer to her face while scratching the top of its head with her other hand.

"He's cute." Serana said as she watched Khara interact with her little, black feather companion. She moved closer and leaned her head on Khara as she too moved a finger up to the bird, slowly so that she wouldn't spook the little guy.

"This is my personal raven, I've had the pleasure of having him for a whole year now." Khara responded with a soft voice. It wasn't a secret, the wolf had a soft spot for animals. "He is special." She said as she bounced her finger a little, making the bird look the wolf in her eyes. "I got him as a gift from the Collage of Winterhold, I'm pretty sure he's enchanted somehow." The little guy always managed to find her, no matter where she was.

Serana let out a little laugh as she lowered her hand. "An enchanted bird, now that's new." She said with an amused tone in her voice.

Khara chuckled as she moved around to Serana, letting the woman put her letter on the raven's little backpack. "I was in a dungeon once, really deep and dark, all that good stuff." Khara said with a nod, her eyes stuck on her raven. "Somehow, he managed to get down there and deliver his letter to me." Khara said with a smile as she remembered how confusing it all was.

Serana smiled as she put the letter on the bird. "That's it."

Khara nodded as she walked over to the window. She brought the raven close to her lips as she whispered. " _Fly to the coast and follow the sea, find an island and enter the castle you'll see. Give the letter to the lord within, and with that your task will be fulfilled."_ A wave of purple light entered the raven's eyes as it looked at Khara. It let out a little croak as it flapped its wings, getting a feel of the air. It dropped out from the window and let the wind carry it to the north-west.

Khara closed the window when Serana spoke. "Do you always give him orders in rimes?"

Khara turned around and looked at her. "Yeah, it makes that light show in his eyes, I think it makes it easier for him to fly. I am not sure thought, I'll have to go back to the collage soon and find a book about it or some scrolls." The wolf said with a smile.

"The way you said it though, you made it sound so easy." Serana wondered out loud as her eyes moved between Khara's.

Khara stood a little straighter. "I'll have you know that I am a respected member of the Bards Collage." She said in a snobbish voice, her smile however, faded as she remembered what they needed to do. She looked at Serana. "You ready to head out?"

Serana's eyes changed a little at her words, she inhaled before giving the wolf an answer. No words left her mouth as she simply nodded to Khara. _I'm ready_ , she said to herself.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Dragon aspect** : Goraangein. – **Young one.**

Geh. – **Yes.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Even though not much happened in this chapter, in the action department, I wrote a fair bit of conversation between Khara and Serana. I have an idea of how to write Harkon himself that might be a little bit different from what other writers do, it's boring to ready the same all the time, right? Anyways, it might be a bit of a gamble, but I got a good feeling about it.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I will not write about the Dragonborn DLC. I never really enjoyed it enough to really settle down and just suck in all that lore, info, locations and characters. I don't think that I would be able to give you guys a good read if I wrote about it. So, Khara and Serana will stick in Skyrim for now. I _really_ want to something with the Thieves Guild as I really like the characters in the guild, they are very fun to write. I also have an idea to finally do something about the Collage of Winterhold as well, after all, Khara is the Archmage.

Time will tell where we'll end up, I hope you guys and gals have a good day and I will see you all in the next one!

-Zep


	14. Chapter 14

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 14_

 _The Lady of Castle Volkihar_

The light from the moon was the only light offered as the sun had retreated for the day, finally allowing the stairs to show themselves yet again. The wind carried snow, making it slightly more difficult to see and move through the many pieces of shattered ice that was being carried by the sea. The wind howled as they navigated across the water, getting ever so closer to their destination.

As Khara moved the boat through the ice, Serana sat quietly and waited, preparing herself. How does one even do that though? Prepare themselves to slay their own father, one of the two responsible for giving you life. Serana remembered the times when her father was a loving and kind man, and not the thing that he is today, but the thought of killing him didn't become any lighter.

Khara stopped the boat when she could see the castle, there was still boats at the docks, telling her that the inhabitants of the castle hadn't left. Her eyes were stuck on the dock as she hoped that they were simply preparing within the castle and that they would leave soon. Khara moved to the back of the boat, getting a little more comfortable as she was willing to wait for them to leave. She saw that Serana was lost in her thoughts, her eyes seemed to be miles away. Khara nudged Serana's boot with her own.

Serana turned around and looked at the wolf, who patted the space next to her, showing that she wanted Serana to sit next to her. Serana managed to offer the tiniest of smiles as she moved over to sit down next to her wolf.

Khara brought her arm around Serana's waist and pulled her closer, she knew that Serana must find this weather extremely cold so, she wanted to offer the woman some warmth.

Serana rested her head on Khara's shoulder as they waited. "They'll come out soon, they have to." Serana said as her thoughts got infested with doubt.

Khara nodded as she hugged Serana closer. "They will. They won't ignore the letter, they'll get to the boats soon." Khara said, her voice as it always was, calm, strong and steady.

As they sat and waited, the weather turned against them. The endless waves of snow fell more heavily down on them, the wind turned colder and the waves higher as time flew by. Even Khara would admit that it was cold, and that's saying something. As more time passed, Khara couldn't help but think about herself and becoming a vampire. She would be able to finally repay Serana for the lovely bite mark that was placed on her shoulder, and the thought about doing the blood sharing with the woman was even more interesting to the wolf.

Falion had said that there wouldn't be much change, if anything she felt a little excited over the idea. She would become even stronger and she would still remain a werewolf, so she was to become a hybrid _, are there even any hybrids?_ She wondered. _No._ Her wolf aspect answered. It made her jump a little, at times she still forgot that her mind was shared with two others.

It was a little odd, sharing your mind with others, but then again, her aspects were just other parts of her. The way her wolf aspect worked as a little interesting actually. When she is in her human form, the wolf aspect can see through Khara's eyes and communicate with her through her mind and offer her guidance. And once she entered her wolf form the roles switch. When transformed it is the wolf aspect that controls the body while Khara simply tells it what to do. This is why when, for example, she tells the wolf to do something, it does so in the simplest way possible, it is a wolf spirit after all. If she tells it to put a thing down on the ground, the wolf will just drop it and let it fall. If she tells it to stop a person from running away, it won't grab person's arm, no it would sit on them. Look at it like she is commanding a person with… _Difficulties_ understanding her language, it will get the message, but may have a hard time performing the task to the letter.

For normal werewolves this is something that takes years to master as it requires a good connection with your wolf aspect as the wolf can choose to ignore its mortal. But because Khara gained her wolf form from Lord Hircine himself, she already had an excellent connection with it from the very start. If she wants it, she can reenter her mortal form at any time.

However, when Khara let her wolf take full control, it is up for the wolf aspect if it wants to give its mortal back the power to control the body again, it is impossible for a mortal to leave the wolf from once the aspect is in full control. Because when one let's their aspect take full control, the mortal's voice can't be heard by the aspect. This is why so many werewolves go feral, the aspects trick their mortals to give them full control if they are not pleased or satisfied. The wolf and the mortal must have similar mind, it worked the same way with her dragon aspect, but there was no transformation involved in that, but yet a lot of trust are needed to do so.

Another thought entered her mind. She knew how Serana felt about temples, priests and the Gods. So, the idea of a traditional marriage was out of the picture, but that didn't stop Khara from thinking. Why would they need a priest to make their oaths to each other valid? Why would they need others to witness them taking the oaths? And why in Oblivion would they need the Gods to judge and approve of their love and devotion to each other? As long as Serana and Khara knew how they felt for each other, why would they need any other to make their marriage real? Isn't it enough to simply say the words? Perhaps even exchange some rings? _Hah, your thoughts are entertaining, goraan gein. And we see your point._ Her dragon aspect said amused by the way the woman thought. _If you wish to have witnesses, me and the dragon will be there._ Her wolf said before adding. _It's isn't like we have much choice_. Khara smiled at the two voices in her mind as she felt their comforting presence. She may make a ring or two when they returned to Solitude.

Khara narrowed her eyes as snowflakes hit her eyes, she lowered her hood a little in an attempt to shield her eyes from the icy storm.

Serana's eyes scanned the entrance of the castle, but it was getting harder due to the snow. She was about to give up when she saw a small light in the distance, then two before she could clearly see who was carrying them. Her clan members were leaving the castle, their plan had worked. She could see the familiar faces of Hestla, Vingalmo, Feran and all the others, they were all leaving the castle. "Khara, look." Serana said as they got in the boats.

Khara sat a little straighter as she narrowed her eyes, it was difficult to see in this weather even with her enhanced vision. "I can't see anything…" She said as she continued to try. "Is it them? Are they leaving?" She asked as she turned her head to look at Serana. The vampire's vision was slightly better than her own.

Serana nodded as her eyes didn't move. "Yes, they are." She turned her head to her wolf. "It worked." She said relieved.

Khara nodded as she got up and moved so that she could bring the boat closer to the castle. "Let me know when they are far enough away, I can't see a damn thing in this storm."

"A few more minutes and we'll be good to go." Serana said as her eyes followed the boats that were getting further and further away from them. The lanterns on the boats faded as the waves carried the other vampires closer to the shore, finally allowing Khara and Serana to get on the island. "Okay, we're good." Serana said to her wolf.

Khara nodded and brought them closer to the castle. Once they made it to the dock, Khara tied the boat and placed one foot on the dock while offering a hand to Serana as her eyes scanned the new area.

Serana smiled at the gesture as she grabbed Khara's hand. They walked up the stone path that had some gargoyles on it, but none jumped out at them as they moved further up. They stopped once they stood in front of the wooden doors of Castle Volkihar. Serana placed a hand at the door, ready to open it, but she stopped. Her gaze fell as her brows furrowed, she was just about to enter her childhood home to fight and most likely kill her own father. She had known this for a little while now, but it _just_ hit her, she was going to kill her father. _Open the door dammit._ Serana told herself, yet her body was frozen in place.

Khara noticed the change in Serana's face, she could see that the woman was having a hard time. The wolf moved a hand to Serana's shoulder, giving it a solid squeeze. "I'll be right next to you, through it all, till the end." She said with a soft voice.

Those words hit Serana, it sounded like Khara was talking about more than just the _here and now_. It felt like it was more than just words of comfort. Serana turned her head a little, making it so that their eyes met. Serana saw how Khara's eyes changed as they looked at each other, the glow in them softened, it gave her that little push she needed to pull open the door. "Here it goes." She mumbled as they entered the castle.

With caution, they walked further into the castle once they saw that there were none at the entrance. Khara's eyes roamed the room they were about to enter, they had to go down some steps, it looked like the dining area. Three long tables were placed in the room, the one in the middle had a big, fancy chair at it, but more importantly, it had someone in it. The wolf noticed that Serana let out a little breath as she straightened and walked down the steps, keeping her gaze at the man sitting in the chair, currently unaware of his uninvited guests.

As they moved to the middle of the room, just after having descended the steps, Serana stopped and her gaze didn't move from the man. "Returned so soon have we? I take it you have…" He let his eyes leave the piece of paper on the table in front of him and let them see who was in the room with him. Khara thought that he must have expected Serana and Khara to be one of his minions, but she could not be sure as his face didn't change when he saw who was in front of him. "Now this is unexpected." He said amused as he rose from his seat. He walked around the table so that nothing was in between them, with the letter in his hand.

As he moved, Khara's hold on her blade tightened as she found it hard to read his intentions. Serana too was unsure of what to do, so she simply held her tongue. She had nothing to say to him as of this moment, but she wished she had. There was so many feelings with in her that begged to be released as she looked at the man. Over the years he changed, he turned into something, but what, Serana didn't know.

Harkon's eyes moved between the two as he came to a stop. He rose his hand with the letter and let his eyes look over it again, while still keeping the two women in his vision. His hand fell to his blade. His eyes then moved to the wolf, or to what the wolf had on her back. "So, I see that you have returned with my bow." He then let out a breath, like he was bored. "I assume that this letter was to make sure that I was alone, unprotected." He lowered his arm and moved his gaze to meet his daughter's. "It was clever Serana, you are so much alike your mother." He said, his voice turning a little sour at the last words. "But you should know that I need no protection. Especially not from you and your little hound. Tell me child, is your… _pet_ keeping you entertained?"

"You know why we're here." Serana said with a voice as cold as the wind howling outside the castle's walls. She still found it hard that this was her father standing in front of her.

"Of course I do, you are here with the bow, there is only so many things that can mean, Serana." Harkon said as his eyes changed, turning a little more red. "You disappoint me, Serana. Everything that I have ever done, I have done for our kind. And here you are, with a mortal, putting all of my hard work at risk." He hissed before taking a small step closer to them. He inhaled through his nose, his face taking on a disgusted look. "I can smell its _stench_ on you, you dishonor me and your kind, being with this hound." He spat, his eyes glowing more and more as the words left his mouth.

Khara was finding it harder to just stand quietly while this ass of a vampire spat insults at her lover, she didn't care what he said of her, but he was treading into dangerous territory with all his harsh words aimed at Serana.

Serana was getting tired of his words too, so she took a step forward. "Enough! You've destroyed our family, you've killed other vampires, others that I called my allies, my friends. All over some prophecy that you barely understand!" She roared at him. "You call me weak, small and foolish, yet you cannot see that you are only a pawn in this as well." She said. Harkon furrowed his brows at her words. "You don't even see it, do you?" She said as she let out a little, cold and frustrated laugh. "Ever wondered where all those _visions of the great future_ ever came from, huh?" She said, his facial expression only fueled her fire as she continued to let the words leave her mouth. "You were _used_ , father. Just like you used me and all the others that ever cared about you. You are nothing but a pawn in this too, your just-."

"Enough!" He roared as a dark cloud surrounded him. "I am no one's puppet! I am my own master!" His eyes turned complete black as the dark cloud swallowed him. It disappeared only a second later, letting the two women see Harkon in his vampire form.

Khara's eyes widened at the sight, she had never seen anything like this before. He was taller than before, his skin a mix between green and gray, he had wings, claws and fangs. He looked like a monster. _Fitting to his personality_ , her wolf aspect growled, ready to fight.

Harkon pointed a claw at Khara. "Last chance _dog,_ give me the bow. Now." He commanded, his voice deep and cold.

Khara couldn't help but let a deep, angry growl escape her. "Over my dead corpse, you _fiend_." She growled at the monster standing in front of her. It wasn't his transformation that made Khara call him that, _fiend_ , but his words, the way he talked and looked at his own flesh and blood made Khara feel sick.

" _My pleasure_." He said as he walked closer, eyes locked on the wolf.

Serana summoned her magic. "You will not touch her!" She said as she moved closer to her wolf.

Harkon let out a deep chuckle as he continued to move closer. "Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence, you must miss her, Serana. But fear not, soon you will all be reunited!" He roared as he cast a spell into the stone floor, making the tables fly back and hit the walls, completely destroying them as the wood shattered at impact. Gargoyles jumped down from the walls as skeletons too came into view.

Harkon used his wings and jumped back on a little balcony, he would let his minions do the dirty work while he strengthens them with his blood magic as well as casting spells on the two women down below. He would show them what the power of blood magic could do.

Both Serana and Khara moved back. Serana summoned two frost atronachs as Khara used her knowledge with the Thu'um to make it difficult for the skeletons to get too close, but the gargoyles however managed to get to them.

Khara threw her blade over to Serana's feet if the woman would need it as she summoned her wolf aspect to come forth, and it did, gladly. _I will show them what a hound can do._ Her wolf aspect growled, ready to release its anger on the others in the room. She entered her beast form and let her wolf have its fun.

Fire, ice and lightening shot across the room as the wolf, the two vampires, gargoyles and undead fought. As the gargoyles fell, Serana used her magic to raise them again, this time serving her instead of her father. The gargoyles served as excellent shields for the two. Khara let her wolf aspect take control as it made quick work of the skeletons, she gained a few wounds, but nothing major. Serana too had gotten a few scratches by the few enemies that managed to get too close but just as her wolf, she easily ignored the pain, if anything it only made her fight with more strength as she felt the adrenaline flow through her body.

Serana moved closer to her wolf as she saw that the remaining enemies was surrounding her. Together they finished them with ease, they had fought tougher enemies before, Harkon would have to step up his game if he wished to complete the prophecy his way.

"I see that your time out of the castle have served you well, child. Perhaps this will take longer that I thought." Harkon, clearly a little drained over his use of magic, said as he took a step back. "Come then, let's take this in the cathedral, I'm sure Lord Bal would enjoy seeing me fulfil the prophecy." He said as he flew out of their vision.

"Come, we're so close, he's getting weaker, I can feel it." Serana panted as she moved over to where her father had gone.

Khara only nodded as she felt the beast within release its hold on her, letting her take on her human form once again. She had a feeling that Harkon was done with letting his minions do all the fighting, and if that was true, then she needed to be able to use her magic, shouts, dagger and blade in the coming fight. "Let's finish this." She said as she grabbed her blade and moved to catch up with Serana.

They ran up the stairs and could see Harkon in the room, drinking from a shrine of his beloved lord, Molag Bal. "We need to keep him away from that shrine." Serana said in a whisper.

They entered the room and Khara pulled a lever, closing the door behind them, making sure that this time, Harkon would have nowhere to flee. Khara grabbed the bow off her back and readied an arrow. In the second the arrow touched the string of the bow, it glowed in a bright light. The wolf released her arrow and let it fly across the room. Harkon moved to the side, but he was blinded by the light coming from the arrow, unsure of where it was, he wasn't able to avoid it completely. It scratched his arm, and by the blood, nothing has ever felt as painful to the vampire.

Harkon staggered back away from the shrine as he let out a hiss. Black smoke surrounded him once more, it would seem that the bow of Auriel held some sun magic to it, _perfect._ Harkon was forced out of his form, his eyes met Khara's and both women could see the flash of worry that his eyes showed for the shortest of moments. "I may not be able to use my vampiric form, but don't let that fool you." He took a step closer and grabbed a hold of his blade. "Before I was granted the blessings of Lord Bal, I was an excellent swordsman and a mage." He rose the blade closer to his chest and used his other hand and put some kind of magical effect on it. He saw that Khara's eyes were stuck on his blade, he then smiled. "Recognize the material?" He said as he dared to flash her a small grin. "Silver." He let his gaze move to his damaged arm. "It is time I repay you for this." And with that he charged the wolf.

Khara moved her legs further apart as she took on a defensive stance, blade ready. As he ran at her, Serana was readying a fire storm spell, she knew what kind of damage fire does to a vampire, but Harkon was recharged on his magica. "Back with you, daughter! I wish to have a word with your hound" He said in a cold voice as he used his free arm and summoned magic to push Serana back against the stone wall, hard.

The air in Serana's lungs left her in the second she met the wall. She released a hiss as she saw the fight in front of her. The wolf seemed surprised of Harkon's speed along with his strength. Khara was far too busy on concentrating on the defensive that she had no chance to make an offensive of her own as Harkon's blade kept meeting her own. Serana tried to join her wolf in the battle, but something was holding her back, black roots had grabbed her feet, she couldn't move. She bent down and used her dagger to get loose, but the damn things felt like iron shackles around her ankles.

Harkon kept at it with the attacks, never giving Khara the opportunity to strike back. The wolf was slowly forced back in a corner and her stamina was draining fast. Harkon rose his blade and let it collide with Khara's again and again, each strike having a little more strength behind it than the last. _Lahvraan nii,_ her dragon aspect whispered. _It hurts, geh, but pain is weakness leaving the body, goraan gein. Use it, collect it, make it your tool._ Her dragon aspect kept saying in her mind. She was damaged, she was hurt, she had wounds that hurt like oblivion thanks to Harkon's silver infused blade.

"I was a _king!_ " He roared as he let the blade strike hers again. "I ruled over thousands!" They collided again. "I was attacked by all kinds of souls and beings!" He saw an opportunity and punched Khara in the face, making the wolf jump back as she was unable to block for a moment. _Gather it, Dovahkiin._ "Daedra." He said as he quickly grabbed her shoulder, he was not letting her get away. _You feel it, geh?_ "Monsters more ancient than your pathetic mortal empires." He used the hilt of his blade and hit her in the side of the head. "And an endless number of mortals trying to take away my kingdom." _Show him what happens when he awakens the Dragon._ " _You are nothing."_ He hissed.

"WULD!" Khara shouted in a desperate attempt to get away from the man, it worked, but only for a short time. Khara's breathing was heavy as she looked at the man walking towards her. _You have let your wolf take control, now let me have my turn._

"I have met all kinds of mortals, immortals. And yet I stand, what makes you believe that _you_ can defeat _me_?" He said with arrogance as he came closer. _Release me._

Khara moved her gaze to the man with blood in his eyes as a new sensation flew through her body. "I am the Dovahkiin." She said as she spat out some blood, her voice a little uneven, but she kept speaking as she took a few steps back. "I have fought far greater men than you, _Sunvaar_." She felt her dragon aspect move in her mind. "I have killed a _god_ and yet _I_ stand." She shook her shoulder a little as she prepared herself for another fight, her voice a little different than before. " _Zu'u los hin vo!"_ A blue light surrounded Khara as she moved towards the man, her eyes were shining as bright as the sun in that light blue color. She had allowed her dragon aspect its turn to show itself. _I cannot stay for long, but I will give him a good fight, goraan gain._

Serana was almost free from the dark roots that were around her feet as she saw the two in front of her. Her eyes however, were drawn to the wolf, or should she say the dragon? She had never seen Khara's eyes like this before, it almost hurt to look at the woman's eyes, they were _that_ bright.

Harkon too was finding it difficult to look the Khara in the eye, he moved one hand to shield his eyes as he spoke. "You think a little magic and a few words will frighte-."

"WULD NAH KEST!" She flew into him, hitting him in the head with the hilt of her blade as she took him with her as she flew towards the stone wall.

Harkon grabbed her shoulder and sword arm as he easily disarmed her, but he couldn't move from where he stood. Khara was making that impossible at the moment. He tried to rise his blade, but the woman grabbed the hand that was holding it.

" _Zu'u los suleyk gaar!"_ Her grip on him tightened as she was holding him against the wall. She punched him in the face beforeinhaling. "FUS!" His blade fell from his grip as his entire body was pushed further back into the stone wall, making the stone release a crackling sound. " _Zu'u los fin thuri do fin dovah!"_

His face was now bruised and bloodied. For each time Khara's fist met his face, he moved less and less as his eyes turned more red. Hatred, anger, _insanity_ filled them. _Til rok los, there he is_. Her aspect mused. Harkon finally let his real eyes show.

"ENOUGH!" As the word left his mouth, Khara was lifted into the air and thrown away. "I have not come this far to fail!" He roared with a different voice this time. "My sacrifices! My own flesh and blood have gone into this!" He ran at the wolf. "This world is mine!" He reached Khara, who was drained of her energy, and lifted her up in the air only to throw her again against another wall. His eyes were in that of a pure black now as he grabbed a piece of stone that had fallen down off the wall. He walked over to the wolf, who was lying on the floor, struggling as she tried to stand. He stopped when the woman was at his feet, he rose his arms that held the stone and looked down at her. "I will have what is mine." He whispered as he was about to introduce the wolf's head with the stone.

Just before Khara could close her eyes, she saw something bright fly towards them, towards the man standing over her, about to end her life. It was an arrow. An arrow filled with sun magic, and it had hit its target right in the heart.

The stone that he held in his hands fell behind him as he slowly let his gaze see what was causing him so much pain. He took a few steps back as his eyes were stuck on the arrow that impaled his dark heart. As he staggered back, his body shook and twisted as a dark mist came out of him. He let out a shaky, painful scream as the mist moved away from him, but it didn't vanish. The mist was creating a form, it looked like, like an elf. _What is this?_ Serana thought to herself.

" _I will have my revenge_!" It shouted in a horrible, hair rising voice. " _Auri-El will pay for what he did to me_!" The dark form turned to Serana, just the way it moved made the woman feel a chill creep up her spine. It let out a howling shriek at her before running towards her with great speed. Serana shot another arrow, and luckily for her it hit the shadow. It fell to the ground and its limbs moved in unnatural ways as it was getting smaller and smaller, until it was no more.

Harkon fell down on the stairs and leaned back on a side as his eyes searched the room, his eyes were wide as he scanned the area. He coughed up some blood before his eyes met his daughter's. "Serana?" He said, his voice small and weak. Blood poured down from his mouth as he was struggling to breathe, he didn't have much time, he needed to get this off his chest.

Serana looked at him, she saw that his eyes were different, they were back to their normal orange color, a color that Serana hadn't seen in the longest time. She took a few steps closer to him, but she did so carefully.

His eyes were filled with sadness as tears filled them too. "I am so sorry, child, for-." He coughed some more. "For all that I have done to you, to our family and clan. I only hoped to make it easier for us, but in the second I found the prophecy, something entered my mind."

Serana furrowed her brows as she walked closer to the dying man, to her father.

"Vyrthur, he showed me paradise, Serana. And I was foolish enough to accept his terms, I wasn't thinking."

"You…That wasn't you, was it? You were controlled, by Vyrthur?" She asked, she couldn't believe it, this was all the elf's doing? Her eyes were wide as the new information entered her mind.

Harkon let his eyes fall to the stone floor. "My actions might have been influenced by his words, but it was still I who did all those things. I was aware through it all, but unable to stop it, unable to speak or let anyone know of my corruption." He closed his eyes as he let the tears fall from his eyes. "I have done such horrendous things, and yet I am granted my own will again at the end, for that I am grateful, Serana." He opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, it made him smile. " _Oh_ , how alike you mother you are, such beauty along with an even more beautiful mind."

Serana lowered herself next to him, this…This felt unreal. Through this whole time, her father was controlled, unable to speak his mind, to let them know of what was happening. The man lying in front of her now wasn't the monster that had killed her mother, no. The man lying in front of her was her father, the man who was kind, honorable and loving. Serana hadn't seen him in centuries, she had almost forgotten of his existence. This was the real Harkon, the man that kept his family safe and happy, the man that Serana remembers from the time before she was a vampire, from when she was only a child.

He was about to grab her hand, but couldn't quite do it when the memories of his wife entered his mind. He opened his mouth, his lips trembled as he searched for his words. "I…I don't know of what happened to your mother, I think that I-I k-killed her…" He furrowed his brows as he nodded, the memory coming back to life. "I killed her." He said clearer this time. His breathing was getting weaker as his time on Nirn came closer to its end. "For my actions, I know that you can never forgive me and I accept that, child. But please, just…Just remember me and your mother, like how we used to be…" His eyes seem distant. "Before the castle, before the ritual…" His voice was becoming harder to hear. He turned his eyes and looked up at the ceiling as he leaned further back. "I've never seen such darkness…" He whispered as death claimed him. His eyes turned gray as the air left his body, the last thing he felt was the comforting touch of his daughter holding his hand. His body turned to ash, the only thing left was his clothes and jewelry.

Serana sat there in silence, her mouth a little open as she looked down on her father's ashes. She felt her own tears roll down her cheek as she let his words play on repeat in her mind. _He wasn't in control of his own actions, he was a puppet._ Serana could think of many horrible things to do to a man, but to force him to kill the love of his life, sacrifice his only child and making him turn his back on his clan, on his family…All of this her father did, and he could only watch as it happened. He was the one responsible for what happened, yes, but Serana couldn't help but feel pity for her father.

Khara's vision was a little blurred, but she had heard Harkon's words and she could see how torn Serana looked. Khara sat up, trying to be as quiet as possible because she didn't know what to do at this point. Should she say something or stay quiet? Should she get closer to Serana or let the woman be for a little while? Khara never knew her father, for all she knows, Akatosh is her father. She decided that she should get back up on her feet, but it was proving to be more difficult than what she originally thought, but after a few seconds she managed it.

Serana heard Khara move and was reminded that she wasn't alone in the room, something she was grateful for. She turned from where she sat and met those blue eyes. Serana looked at Khara with sad eyes, her wolf was covered in cuts, bruises and blood. All given to her wolf by her father, or the monster that dwelled within him. She sighed as she rose from where she sat and walked over to the wolf, who looked unsure of what to do.

The way Serana moved showed Khara just how drained the woman was, physically and emotionally. Khara took a few steps towards Serana and stopped once there were only a few feet between them, but Serana didn't stop. She walked right into Khara, placing her forehead on the wolf's shoulder while her arms hang motionless at her sides. Khara removed a gauntlet and let her naked hand find the back of Serana's neck as she turned her head to the side, resting it against Serana's. No words were said as they simply leaned on each other. There were no smiles, no laughter or cheers of victory, no. There was only this heavy, cold feeling floating in the air around them.

 _Say something,_ the wolf pleaded. _Nid, she is not ready,_ the dragon answered. _Who? Mate or our human?_ The wolf asked. _Both, dii fahdon._ The dragon answered. _You two are aware that I can hear you, yes?_ _It is my mind after all._ Khara found her aspects entertaining at times, it was only a shame that this time, it was not a good time. _Krosis,_ the dragon aspect answered for the both as her wolf aspect only whimpered.

"Do…" Khara furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes, unsure if she should be speaking at all, but she continued, her voice a little more sure of itself this time. "Do you wish to leave?" She asked, her voice low and gentle to the vampire's ear.

"Yes." Serana whispered. Khara nodded as she linked her arm with Serana's, she would not let Serana feel alone, not now, not never. The gesture made Serana smile a little, in all this cold darkness, there was still warmth and light. Khara let her eyes scan over the area, making sure that all of their belongings were still on them. Bow, blade and daggers were, so with that they left the room.

They walked through the castle towards the exit, they cared little for what could be within the building such as, riches and artifacts as they only wished to leave this place. They opened the door and walked outside. Little had prepared them for who was outside, about to enter the castle.

Khara and Serana grabbed their weapons as they watched as the vampires made their way up to them, they were missing a couple of members Serana noticed, but she and her wolf were outnumbered.

The vampires stopped as they were now only a few feet away from the two, however one of them took another step closer and spoke. "Orthjolf and Vingalmo said that they both felt Harkon summon them back to the castle. Just before we got on the boats they panicked and fled." The vampire said, Serana remembered him. Garan Marethi was his name, he was one of the more kind members of the clan.

Khara watched as the elf spoke. The other vampires simply stood by and waited. "We didn't understand why they would do such a thing, as it is considered treason." He said as he looked back at his fellow vampires and clan members. "But seeing you two now makes things very clear. Our lord is no longer with us." Garan said. "Which means that you, Lady Serana, are the next in line. You are the Lady of Castle Volkihar."

Serana's eyes widened at his words. _Is he telling me that I'm the leader of Clan Volkihar now?_ "What?" Serana let the word slip.

"Well, you are the only heir to Lord Harkon and Lady Valerica, the castle is yours as it is your right." He said as he eyed Serana's reaction. "None of us were turned by your father, Lady Serana, we are all of your mother and loyal to her. It was only our oath that kept us under your father's rule, to serve the clan's leader. So, whatever you decide, we will obey. Be it death for our actions or the promise of life under your rule." He said. The other vampires nodded their head to show them that they agreed with Garan's words.

Serana narrowed her eyes and she shared a look with her wolf.

"If it helps, we are bound by a blood oath. There is no trickery here, I assure you." He said as he took a step back. Serana trusted his words, she knew how blood oaths worked, if you didn't fulfil them, you would burn until the only thing left of you was ashes. It was a tradition for all clan members to do so to the one that turned them, to make sure they stayed loyal. Serana even remembered witnessing some of the members standing in front of her taking their oaths to her mother.

Serana got an idea though, one that would prove most useful. She knew that this was something her wolf would approve of, so she spoke. "I don't see the need for the entire clan to vanish on this day. However, you have all done things that I cannot forgive, for it is not for me to forgive, but for those of the families that you have destroyed and hurt." Serana said with an even tone, her voice held authority to it. "Vampires are frowned upon, most mortals look at us and they see monsters, evil spawn of the Daedra. What Harkon made you do didn't make that reputation any better as you attacked villages and towns throughout the province." Serana said, dare she say that she saw some of the vampires look a little, apologetic of their actions? Perhaps. "If what you say is true, that you will follow my command now, then I command you to make this right."

"What is your wish, Lady Serana?" Another vampire asked her, Hestla was her name.

"I want you to remove the lesser vampires attacking throughout the province, give them a simple choice, they can ignore my warning and die or they can remove themselves from these lands. I also want you to deal with the vampire's thralls, no more innocent blood will be spilt because of my father's actions."

"With no disrespect, what about us? We need blood to survive, are we to starve, my Lady?" Ronthil asked her.

"Skyrim is filled with bandits, nomad thieves, robbers and other lowlifes, if anything, the people of Skyrim would like to see less of those roaming their streets." Khara said as she saw that Serana was struggling a little with finding the right words.

"If that is your wish, my Lady, then it is our task. Will you lead the court from here?" Garan asked.

"No, I will not. This place has nothing for me but foul memories. You Garan, you will be the one in charge when I'm not here, to make sure that these threats are dealt with properly." She said as she let her eyes roam the vampires, she was still a little unsure of some of them, but yet they were all under the blood oath, they didn't have a choice, as was the price they paid for immortality.

Garan bowed respectfully to his new leader. "As you wish, Lady Serana. I assure you it will be done. That is all I need from you for now, if you wish I have nothing more to ask of you, you are free to be on your way, my Lady. I will send you a raven of our progress in the coming weeks. And my Lady…" Garan said as he moved to the side, as did the others, making it so that the two women could finally leave the island. "I can't image this being easy for you, you have my condolences." He said as he gave one last bow with his head.

As they walked down the path Khara leaned over to Serana. "I say you handled that very well, all things considered." The wolf said as her eyes were stuck on Serana, she was still a little worried about her, seeing to how she just lost her last family member.

"Thanks, I'm just glad we didn't have to fight them. I have some fond memories with Garan and the other members, I'm glad that the clan will finally be used for some good for a change." Serana knew that they would have to operate in secret and that they needed to be careful, but she believed that it would work well.

"I got a good feeling about this." Khara said as she got in the boat. She untied it and offered a hand to help Serana get in it. "Ready to go home?" She asked as she showed Serana that special smile that she only ever showed to the woman, no one else.

Serana smiled back at her wolf as she accepted the hand, she was ready to leave this place and all of its memories behind for a long while, if not forever. "Yes, I'm exhausted and we both need to rest and mend our wounds."

Khara activated the magic on the boat, making it so that it would guide itself back to Solitude. Khara leaned back in the boat, sitting sideways and Serana joined her, laying down with her head resting on her wolf's chest. They were next to each other as the skies entertained them with blue, green and purple lights, stars, and a clear view of the moon. With the storm completely gone, there weren't any big waves so, as they waited for time to pass, the comforting sound of water gently hitting the boat calmed their hearts as well as their minds.

"It's going to be a full moon soon." Serana said in a low voice. Her mind was filled with the deep desire to just lay down in a bed, their bed back in Solitude. She wanted to have a sweet cup of wine in front of the fireplace as music played. She wanted to feel warmth envelop her, she just wanted to lay down and rest with ease, knowing that in the coming day, she had nothing that needed to be done except being with her wolf.

Khara hummed as she moved her unarmed hand over Serana's chest. Serana hugged it closer to herself, it felt good to have some warmth as the rest of her wolf was still covered in her ebony armor. Khara too wanted to just have a few days to relax, to just do _nothing_. It had been years since the last time she had done that, and the thought was extremely tempting to the wolf.

Khara smiled down at her. "Close your eyes, Serana." Khara said as she saw Serana give her a little nod, poor woman was exhausted.

And as Serana closed her eyes, she heard in her head what the wolf had said earlier. _I'll be right next to you, through it all, till the end_. More comforting words had never passed her ears before. "What you said earlier, at the door. What was it?" She had a pretty good idea, but just the thought of hearing her wolf say the words out loud made her stomach do a flip.

Khara smiled as she remembered her own words. "A promise."

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Dragon aspect** : Lahvraan nii – **Gather it.**

Geh. – **Yes.**

Goraan gein – **Young one.**

 **Khara** : Sunvaar. – **Monster.**

Zu'u los hin vo! – **I am your undoing!**

Zu'u los suleyk gaar! – **I am power unleashed!**

Zu'u los fin thuri do fin dovah – **I am the Overlord of dragons!**

 **Dragon aspect:** Til rok los – **There he is.**

Nid. – **No.**

dii fahdon. – **My friend.**

Krosis. – **Sorry.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

This was so much fun to write, I wasn't sure if I would manage to keep the whole chapter in the Volkihar Castle area, but dare I say that it worked out pretty well! The chapter is a little shorter than normal, sorry but when I got to that last sentence that Khara said it was just the perfect ending in my mind, I knew I wouldn't be able to make a better one.

I apologize if my version of Lord Harkon was not as pleasing at the Dawnguard version is, but I simply wish to offer you guys and gals something a little different from the game and from other fanfictions about Dawnguard. c:

I love the feeling of finally being done with the main quest of the Dawnguard questline, it gives me so much more freedom to write other things within the story and I already have a few ideas of what may happen next.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

-Zep


	15. Chapter 15

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 15_

 _The bond of blood_

Khara unlocked the door to the manor and let Serana enter before her. She locked it once inside and got out of her armor in a less than a minute, that had to be a record for the wolf. She placed her dagger, blade and bow on a table next to the door and walked over to the dining table where she sat down in a chair. She let her whole body sink into it as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The wolf felt a cool hand on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and saw that Serana standing behind her, looking down at her. However, their eyes didn't meet as Serana was far too busy looking at all the small cuts and scratches that covered the wolf's face.

"We should get you healed up, your tired too." Serana said as she looked over her wolf.

"We _both_ need to mend our wounds and rest.". Khara placed her hand on top of Serana's as she got up from the chair and moved around, facing the woman. She moved her hand to Serana's chin and gently ran her thumb over Serana's bloodied lip. "You got some rather nasty cuts too."

Serana smiled with her eyes at her wolf. "I got an idea." Serana said as she moved away from Khara. She entered the alchemy lab and searched one of the many shelfs for a special bottle. When she found it, she rejoined her wolf in the main room and grabbed Khara's hand as she guided the wolf down to the basement, then into the room that had the huge bath in it.

Khara rose an eyebrow as she looked at the bath. "You want to bathe?" She asked as she used her magic to light the candles in the room.

Serana smiled as she sat on the edge of the stone half wall that held the water on the other side. She opened the bottle and poured all its contents into the warm, steaming water. "Well, you said that we both needed to mend our wounds and rest." Serana said as she saw the potion mix with the water. She then turned her head to look at Khara. "Why not kill two birds with one stone?" She asked her wolf as she let her fingers enter the warm water, it gave her goosebumps as her desire to enter the bath increased.

Khara tilted her head before catching the scent of what Serana had poured into the bath. "A healing potion?" She asked with a smile. Serana nodded as she continued to let her fingers dip into the warm water as she smiled at the wolf. Her eyes were locked with Khara's, she couldn't look away, but that was quite alright as she did not wish to do so. "We should get out of our clothes then." The wolf said in a low voice as she removed her shirt.

Serana's eyes fell as the fabric was removed off of her wolf.

Khara easily got out of her clothes and she was now only in her undergarments as she walked over to Serana, who was still sitting on the edge of the bath, completely covered in clothes. She chuckled as she approached the woman. When she was closer, Serana moved so that she was facing Khara from where she sat, back to the bath, eye to eye with the wolf.

The vampire's eyes roamed the naked skin as the wolf gently undid the few strips that where on her shirt. Khara had gotten a lot of bruises from their fight back at the castle. She found bruise after bruise as she looked over Khara. Her eyes stopped when she found her own mark on the wolf, the mark that showed that Khara was hers and hers alone. Serana managed to regain control over her body as she realized that Khara was undressing her. "You trying to get me naked, wolf?" She asked with humor.

Khara's eyes met hers and the wolf let out a little laugh. "I don't see you complaining." The wolf said back as she continued to aid Serana with getting out of her clothes.

Serana smiled as she stood up, leaving very little room between them. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the wolf. She moved a little closer, making it so that their bodies met. She lowered her head and inhaled to wolf's scent before slowly move her head back up, her nose following the warm skin as she moved her head higher. She placed a small, gentle kiss on the wolf's neck. She trailed her nose up the warm, abused skin as she met Khara's jaw where she placed another kiss. She moved some more and found the corner of Khara's mouth.

The wolf moved her head this time, nudging Serana's nose with her own as she felt the need to feel those cool lips on her own increase with each passing second. Serana smiled for a second as she brushed her lips over Khara's. The wolf let out a small whimper at the feeling, it felt like Serana touched her lips with a feather. Khara gently guided Serana back to the edge of the bath while claiming her those sweet, soft lips. Words couldn't describe just how good it felt to finally be able to feel those lips again and knowing that she would feel them again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that again.

Khara broke the kiss as she placed a kiss on the woman's cheek before wrapping her arms around Serana, but she let out a whimper as it hurt to do so due to how badly beaten her body was.

Serana removed Khara's bra and the wolf removed the other piece of cloth that remained on her. The wolf entered the bath, walked over to the furthest away corner and sat down on the stone bench that was under the water. From where she sat she watched as Serana undressed with a small smirk on her lips. _Hungry_ , her wolf aspect said. _We'll get food later,_ Khara told it. _Not talking about food,_ Khara's eyes widened as she understood what her wolf aspect meant.

Serana entered the warm water and moved over to the wolf, who looked like she was blushing. "You alright there?" She asked as she sat down on Khara's lap, because they were sitting in a corner they could both lean back against the stone walls.

"Y-Yeah." Khara said as her one arm snaked its way around Serana's waist while the other rested over Serana's thighs. "Just getting lost in thoughts." She said with a smile when their eyes met.

"About?" Serana asked, trying to play oblivious. The wolf snorted as she rose an eyebrow. Serana let out a chuckle as she leaned more into Khara and found the crook of the wolf's neck. She sighed happily as she felt her muscles relax under her skin. "This feels divine." She mumbled against the wolf's skin.

Khara hummed as she leaned her head back and closer her eyes. "It does." She agreed with Serana on that. She could feel the potion do its work on her body. She had never thought about using a healing potion in this way before, it was something she would definitely do again though. "You're a genius." Khara removed her hand around the woman's waist and moved it up to Serana's neck where she gently massaged the soft skin, making Serana release a small moan.

After a few minutes of feeling Khara's divine hand massage her neck, Serana moved her head a little and reached for Khara's other hand. She grabbed it and moved it out of the water, all the scratches and bruises was gone. "Are you feeling better?" She asked as she held the warm hand.

"Hmm, much." Khara said she moved her head so that she could look at Serana. "And you? How are you doing?" She asked as she moved a hand to Serana's cheek.

"I…" _I feel alone. I feel cold. I feel hollow. I feel betrayed. I feel abandon. I feel abused._ That were the first thought that entered her mind, but then the wolf entered her mind and changed those thoughts. _But I'm not alone or cold, for you offer me warmth. I don't feel hollow, for that which was once empty are now filled by your care. And your trust and comfort shine greater than my thoughts of doubt and betrayal. You feel like home for you are my home. And I do not feel abused, never before have I been given such affection, respect and tenderness._ Serana smiled at how easily her wolf could change her mind, how easily she could make the darkest of days to the brightest. "I'm getting there, just…I just don't want to be alone." Her words turned to a whisper as she spoke.

"You won't. I'll be by your side every moment of every day." Khara said as she hugged Serana closer. "You'll probably get tired of seeing me so often." Khara added in an attempt to make Serana smile.

"I don't think that will be an issue." Serana said, her voice a little stronger this time as a smile appeared on her lips. She moved a little from where she sat on Khara's lap and faced the wolf, her eyes roaming the woman's face. They didn't speak as Serana kept looking at the wolf.

Khara would have found it a little weird and even a little uncomfortable if it was anyone else doing it, but it wasn't, it was Serana. So, if anything, it only made the wolf relax even more.

Serana watched how those blue eyes turned softer as the seconds passed, how the glow in them were slowly retreating back, revealing Khara's true eyes. "When?" Serana asked.

"When it feels right." They would know when the time would be right, but something told Khara that the right time would be very soon.

"You're sure?" The wolf seemed sure of this, but it never hurt to ask.

"I'm positive."

"There is no going back after."

"I never wish to go back."

"It may hurt."

"It won't."

"How'd you know?"

"Because I know _you_."

Serana groaned a little before speaking. "I swear…I'll kick Falion so hard that his grandchildren will walk funny if it changes your eyes." Serana said as she continued to look at her wolf.

"The only visible change should be my teeth." And Khara was excited to get them.

"Keyword, _should_." Falion's words might not be true, this has never been done before as far as they know.

"The only thing that _will_ change is my teeth." Serana's hand moved over to her mark on the wolf and brushed over it. Khara's gaze followed the hand. "How do I do that?" She asked.

Serana smiled as she looked at her mark. "You'll just know, it'll come natural."

"What if I mark you in a place you don't like?" The wolf asked, her eyes showing her worry.

Serana removed her gaze from her mark and met blue eyes. She moved a hand and held it against the wolf's warm cheek. "Not a chance." She said before placing a sweet kiss on the wolf's lips. As the kiss turned more passionate, the wolf's hand traveled lower on Serana's back until they found even softer skin. The wolf gave a little squeeze as she pulled the woman closer. The act was rewarded with Serana gently biting down on her lip, making blood appear.

"You're hungry." Khara said.

"We're both hungry." Serana replied in a mumble as she slowed down the kiss.

"We should fix that then." Khara said as she broke the kiss. "Ladies first." She tilted her head to the side, letting Serana get an excellent view of her neck.

"Such manners." Serana purred as she moved both hands to the wolf's neck. She leaned in and placed a few more kisses on the warm skin before letting her fangs gently sink into the warm flesh beneath. Oh, how good it felt to feel that warm, sweet and delicious blood on her tongue once again. Her memories of the last time she had feed on Khara didn't to the wolf's blood justice, it seemed as if the blood was like a good bottle of wine, as time passed the divine taste only increased.

"Will I still be enough to sate your hunger once changed?" Khara managed to let out as Serana fed on her.

Serana let the final drops of blood enter her mouth before removing her fangs and leaving the neck. "Don't worry about that, you will always be enough to sate my hunger." Serana said as she used a finger to catch a drop of blood rolling down the wolf's neck. She brought it to her lips as she looked into the wolf's eyes.

Khara's eyes were stuck on Serana's lips. "What does it taste like?"

"I would say like the finest wine, but I don't think there is an appropriate word to describe just how satisfying your blood truly is." Serana answered honestly. "How about we get some food in you now? I can make horker stew if you wish." Serana said with a smile.

Khara's eyes widened as she looked at Serana. "You would make me horker stew?" She asked in a low voice.

Serana laughed at the woman's reaction. "Yes, Khara. I expect Dexion and the Graybeards would like to know the news, along with the Companions as well as the Thieves Guild. You can write the letters while I prepare the food."

Khara smiled at Serana. "You're right. And thank you." She said as she looked at the woman.

"I'm only making you some food, Khara. You make it sound like it's a big thing." Serana mused as their eyes kept looking back at each other.

"Well, it is to me. No one has ever done that to me before." Khara said in a sweet voice, but quickly furrowed her brows. "Except innkeepers and such, but they don't count." Khara shook her head as the words left her mouth.

Serana shook her head as she placed one more kiss on the wolf's lips. "You're too sweet at times." She then moved back from the wolf and out of the bath.

Khara moved to the edge of the bath as she needed to be closer to Serana. She placed her hand on the edge and rested her head on top of them as she continued to watch with interest. "There's clean clothes in the wardrobe, love." Her eye winded as she realized what she had said. _Love._ It was true, but saying the word on loud made it so more real. Saying _I love you_ was different from this. She wasn't used to using words that showed such affection, but it didn't feel bad at all, if anything the wolf could get used to saying it more often. _Maybe she didn't hear you?_ The wolf aspect said in an attempt to calm the woman down.

Serana stopped her movements and turned around in a flash. Khara sucked in her lips as she just looked at the woman while slowing sinking lower into the water. _Oh, she heard alright,_ the dragon aspect laughed. Serana's smile was as big as ever as she rose an eyebrow at the wolf. "Thanks, _love_." Serana said in an extremely sweet voice, making Khara groan as she hid her face. Serana got dressed and walked over to Khara. She placed a hand on the wolf's shoulder. "Go write those letters, Khara." She said amused before walking out of the room.

 _You do not need to fear such words, goraan gein. In time they will become as natural as breathing, of that I can promise_. Her dragon aspect, always the wise, always right.

 _I'll take your word for it._

 _Good, I will leave you to relax now, when the time comes I shall speak again._ And with that, her mind turned quiet once more. She took one last moment to feel the warm water, but the warmth become too overwhelming without the cool body of the woman upstairs. Khara got out and dressed, her wounds were healed and she felt better. She felt little drained perhaps, but that would soon pass.

She walked out of the room and up the stairs. As she was about to climb the second set of stairs she managed to catch Serana's eyes, the woman winked at her and gestured for her to continue up to write the letters, to which the wolf obeyed.

 _Master Arngeir_

 _The vampire threat has been dealt with, however many minions of the one responsible are still out believing their master still lives. This is being dealt with, but time is required for it to be safe for Dexion to walk freely in Skyrim once more. If you would allow him to stay for a little while longer I would apprentice it._

 _-K_

Khara continued to write letters to Aela and Brynjolf. When she was pleased with them, she walked over to a window where her raven waited for her. "Hey buddy. Care to do some more flying for me?" She said as got the letters into its little backpack. The raven let out a little croak, waiting for Khara to activate its magic.

The wolf smiled as the raven looked at her, waiting ever so patiently. "The winds are calm and there is no hurry this time, my little friend. You won't need the help of magic this time." The wolf said to the raven. Seemingly pleased with Khara's words, the raven jumped out the window and let the winds carry it to the south.

As Khara closed the window she caught the scent of the stew cooking on the floor below. Khara sneaked down the stairs and saw that Serana was standing in the kitchen with a book in her hands, by the look it seems like a book about alchemy. Khara smiled as she got closer, her feet not leaving behind a sound as she moved over the floor with ease. As the wolf got closer to her pray, Serana moved a little from where she stood. Khara froze, worried that she was spotted, but Serana's eyes remained on the book she held in her hand. Khara moved closer, she was right behind the woman now.

Serana's nose managed to catch another scent over the strong smell of stew, it was a familiar scent. She smiled when she felt a gentle kiss on her neck followed by two hands snaking their way around her waist. "You wrote the letters already?" She asked, only a little time had passed since the wolf had gone to write them.

Khara hummed as she closed her eyes. "I had pretty good motivation." The wolf responded.

Serana chuckled as she leaned her body back against Khara's at the same time as she turned her head a little. "You talking about me or the stew?" She asked amused.

"You, of course. The stew is just an added bonus."

"Good answer. Now eat, you dork." Serana said as she smiled. The wolf nodded as Serana handed her a bowl of stew. Thanks to the cooking book on the table, Serana was able to make the stew as she had little experience with being in a kitchen due to her parents always having servants around. By the look of Khara's face, Serana knew that she had done a decent job. She took a bowl of the stew herself and walked over to Khara. "Good?" She asked as she sat down.

Khara just moaned as she nodded, horker stew was just the best and having Serana make it made it taste even better to the wolf. Khara looked past Serana and saw grey clouds in the distant, even though it was still dark out, Khara could see bad weather approaching. She then turned her gaze to Serana. She tilted her head as she saw that the woman held a distant look in her eyes. "What's on your mind?"

Serana turned her head to Khara before speaking. "What happens now?"

Khara moved a little in her seat as she put her bowl on the table. "Well, I think we both could use a day or two to just relax, repair what needs repairing and so on. After that I'm sure the Companions might need some help with dealing with the Silver Hand. Even with Clan Volkihar dealing with the remaining vampires and all, I'm sure they could use some help."

Serana nodded at the wolf's words. "And the Thieves Guild? What kind of… _quests_ do they offer?"

"Treasure hunting for the most part these days, artifacts and such." Khara said as she looked Serana in the eye. "We can travel there you know, catch up with the crew, have a few drinks and all." Khara said as she saw the smile on Serana's lips increase.

"I like the sound of that."

"Hm, speaking of treasure and all…" Khara said as she got up from her seat. "I promised to show you mine, didn't I?" Khara reached out a hand for Serana to take.

Serana smiled as she took a hold on the offered hand and got up. "I believe you did. Lead the way."

Khara led them upstairs and to the door of the famous treasure room. She opened the door and let Serana enter. "So, this is pretty much what I've gathered over the last three years."

Small mountains of coins filled the corners of the room. Weapons made of pure cold and other expensive material filled the walls and huge chests were moved up against the walls. Cups, pots and urns decorated with gems of all colors and sizes where placed on the few shelfs that the room had to offer. There was no denying it, the wolf's treasure was far greater than that of any Jarl or other nobles in Skyrim, if not all of Tamriel.

Serana stood still and watched the room, her eyes roaming the room. "You have collected all of this by yourself?" Serana said quietly, amazed over how much riches where in still single room alone. Her eyes moved over to where five large chests where placed against the wall. "What's in those?" She asked as she nodded at them.

"Gems, tons and tons of gems. You know how it is, I find gems where ever I go, and I find it hard _not_ to take them with me." Khara said as she walked over to one chest. She opened it and gestured for Serana to come look. "Flawless ones are in this one, it's almost full so, I guess I need to get another chest in here somehow."

Serana walked over to her wolf and looked down at what seemed like endless amounts of gems of the finest quality. "You could probably buy an entire city with all this." Serana laughed out, this was ridiculous. "What do you plan to do with all this, Khara?" She asked as she turned to face her wolf.

"Oh, I don't really know. It started with saving up be able to afford some ebony ingots, then a horse, then a house. I may have a little hoarding problem maybe?" Khara said as sat down on the edge of the chest.

"Maybe?" Serana said as she grabbed a handful of gems. "Gods knows how much all of these are worth."

Khara reached down into the chest and grabbed a flawless emerald. She brought it closer to her face before looking as Serana. "Oh, I see now…" She brought the emerald up and her eyes darted between the gems and the woman in front of her. "You totally had green eyes."

Serana gently let the gems back into the chest and looked at Khara. "I did." Khara tilted her head to the side as she continued to look at Serana, trying to imagine how she would look with emerald green eyes. "You want to see them?" Serana asked.

Khara furrowed her brows. "How?"

"There is a spell that vampires use to look more mortal. It's called mortal's mark, I keep forgetting that I know it at times." Serana summoned the spell in her hand and cast it on herself.

The wolf watched as orange burning eyes turned to that of a beautiful green. Khara narrowed her eyes as she got up and walked closer to Serana, this was odd. "It's strange how something so small can make such big changes to a face." Khara said quietly as she looked into emerald green eyes. "They're beautiful, but…" The wolf dragged out the last word.

"But?" Serana continued, wondering where the wolf was going with this.

"I prefer them like they normally are." _I always have and I always will._

"In that glowing orange, you mean." That very same unnatural color of what so many mortals have nightmares of.

"In that glowing orange, aye. That glowing orange that makes the most beautiful sunsets seem boring and dull. That very same glowing orange that I've fallen for." Khara moved her hand over Serana's face, not touching the soft skin as she removed the magical effect of the spell, removing the green and letting the orange glow once more. "Don't ever change, Serana." Khara moved closer as Serana stood her ground. The wolf placed a gentle, sweet kiss on the woman's cheek before moving her lips over to her ear and whispering. "You're perfect the way you are." Khara closed her eyes, brought her hands around Serana's waist and slowly swayed them to the side, dancing almost as the music from the Bard's Collage could be heard.

Serana closed her eyes and moved her face to the crook of Khara's neck. The warmth along with the familiar scent helped her relax more than the bath could ever offer. "I never would have thought that you would be like this when we first met." She said in a low voice. Khara opened her eyes, but remained quiet so that Serana could continue to speak. "To be so kind and caring." Serana moved a hand to Khara's jaw. "That someone so _lethal_ could be so gentle."

Khara closed her eyes at Serana's words. It was true, the wolf could easily wipe out entire villages, she was powerful and she knew it, both of them did. Serana could easily sink her fangs into that warm flesh and end the wolf's life within the blink of a moment. And that Khara let her feed on her, let Serana run her fangs over her neck. It showed Serana that the wolf trusted her with her life and that alone made Serana feel feelings she thought to be out of this world.

Serana moved her head back a little and moved Khara's face with her hand. Khara opened her eyes and looked into Serana's eyes. The orange glow was a few shades darker now, the wolf could see the hunger in them as well as the hidden desires. Blue eyes fell to soft lips, to sharp fangs as Serana's mouth weren't completely closed. The wolf swallowed as she felt Serana slowly move them towards the bedroom, _their_ bedroom.

" _Please_." Khara whined as Serana's full lips brushed against her own, she needed to feel them right now.

Serana smirked as she let the wolf have her wish. Both had their eyes closed as they moved through the enchanting room and into the bedroom as they undressed on the way, leaving a trail of clothes behind them. Khara's leg hit the bed and before anything else happen, Serana pushed the wolf down on the bed before quickly jumping in as well. Khara sat with Serana in her lap as their kisses slowed down, but turned deeper and more passionate with each passing moment. The wolf dragged her nails over the flawless, cool skin.

" _Serana…Now_." Khara managed to let out as she tilted her head to the side.

Serana moved to the exposed throat and showered it with wet kisses. "Yes?"

" _Yes_." Khara's breathing was heavy and her voice deep.

Serana moved away from the warm, abused throat and moved Khara's face with a hand so that their eyes met. Both women's eyes were darker than normal and both were struggling to get the needed air into their lungs. Serana moved both hands to hold the wolf's face and smiled as she brought their lips together again. The wolf pulled Serana's body closer to her own with her hands as their lips continued their little dance. Slowly Serana moved her lips down towards the wolf's throat, letting each inch of warm skin have its share of attention before moving on to the next. Her lips found the smooth skin of the throat, right over the wolf's pulse point.

Khara waited patiently in excitement as her life was about to change forever. The world she walked in would be enhanced, and her connection and bond with the woman who she cannot live without would increase to beyond the reaches of her imagination. A new part of her life was just about to dawn, and even thought the past still had some good in it, the future seemed to hold more memorable moments in it.

Serana sank her fangs into Khara's neck, into the woman's flesh. Warm blood that seemed like it was on fire entered her mouth and spread its warmth to all reached of Serana's body. She bit down on her own tongue and let her own blood enter and mix with Khara's, along with her venom that would activate the transformation of becoming a vampire.

Khara's grip on Serana tightened as she held on to the woman for dear life. She let out a deep moan as new feelings entered her body, feelings of warmth and cold, fire and ice. They mixed and created endless waves of electricity that traveled throughout the wolf's body, living the wolf in an ocean of absolute pleasure. And with Serana there was little difference, she too let out sounds of pleasure for never before have she offered her own blood to another, never before had she created another vampire. The act itself was to feel good, but _this_ was something beyond that. The idea of having Khara be hers, to be hers fully, to have her own blood within the wolf felt strange in the most wonderful way. For it was strange and mortals might find it disturbing even, but to a vampire it was entirely different.

Khara could feel the change in her blood and battle that took place there. She arched her back and Serana moved a hand down to her back, holding her in place. Absolute bliss times a thousand is what both felt in this moment, and without any warning that bliss turned into something different, something better.

" _Ah, Serana…"_ Khara moaned together with Serana as they both felt that electricity become too much for them to handle. That's was when Serana felt a change within and knew that it was done, her blood was mixed with Khara's and her venom was within the wolf as well. Now the only thing that remained was to rest, for the both of them.

Khara moved a hand up to Serana's neck and rested it there as she felt the fangs, of which she loved _so much,_ remove themselves from her neck. Drained of her energy, she only managed to place one lazy kiss on Serana's shoulder before she was lowered funny into the bed with great care. She was too weak to even open her eyes.

" _Sleep, Khara_." A soft voice whispered. " _Sleep and when you wake up, I'll be here with you._ " Something touched her lips as she was struggling to stay awake. However, when the scent reached her nose, she was gone. For the scent was sweet, musky and fragrant, it was of her and Serana, yet something new. A mix of fresh fire of the woods and of the most delicate lavender. The wolf fell asleep as she recognized the scent, it wasn't hers or Serana's, no. It was _their_ scent, mixed and blended, combined and fused, and gods above, it was the best damn thing to ever have passed the wolf's nose. She fell asleep with a buzzing feeling within and a cool, calming one around her body.

* * *

Serana laid on her stomach and watched as the wolf started to move a little, her breathing changed as well, telling Serana that she was waking up. Serana propped herself up on her elbows as her eyes were stuck on the wolf's face. "Don't open your eyes yet, it might be a little too much too soon." She said in a low voice. The wolf's ability to smell would most likely be the same as it was, but all of her other senses would be enhanced. "Take a moment to feel, to hear and sense."

Serana's calm voice was different this time, it was clearer than before. Khara moved a hand from under the covers and brought it to her neck. It felt different, her hand her own neck felt different, everything felt a little different, like there was more to feel.

Serana moved a little closer, their bodies now touching as she slowly dragged a finger up the wolf's bare arm. "How does it feel?" She whispered.

The wolf furrowed her brows in her search to find the best words to describe what the touch made her feel. "Like I've never been touched before, like I've never really felt." Her memories of the feeling of having Serana's hand on her was different, nothing but a shadow compared to what she felt now. "It's so different…"

Serana smiled down at the wolf as she moved to straddle her waist before laying down flat against Khara. The wolf inhaled sharply at the feeling. Serana moved her head closer to the wolf's, their lips on a few inches away from each other. "A good different?" She whispered.

Khara felt Serana's breath on her and slowly opened her eyes. Her mouth hang a little open and her eyes widened as the sight above her. Serana was hovering above her, her hear a little messy and orange eyes staring back down at her, _gods she is beautiful_. The wolf watched as Serana's smile got bigger as the seconds passed.

"Your eyes are the same." Serana whispered as she looked into blue orbs.

Khara on the other side was unable to speak. Her eyes roamed Serana's face, but for some reason it felt like she shouldn't be looking, like she wasn't allowed to look at something so magnificent. It was like for the first time in her life, she could finally see clearly. There was no shadows, no fog, no blurs, nothing was between her eyes and what she was looking at. But…If Serana was _this_ pleasant to the eyes, what would it feel like to have such delicate, sweet lips against her own? _I need to know_.

Serana watched as Khara moved a hand to hold her cheek, the touch was so gentle, so careful that Serana almost didn't feel it. The wolf looked at her like she was, like she was… _Everything_. And it made Serana's face come a little closer to the wolf's.

Khara's eyes fell to soft lips, she moved her head up the little distance needed and clamed what she wanted most. Khara's eyes were forced shut and she moved her other hand up to Serana's other cheek. To feel so much just from the touch of lips was overwhelming. She broke the kiss and let out a shaky breath, her eyes were wide as her breathing was heavy. Serana saw the wolf's reaction and leaned back, letting Khara have some space. But the wolf shook her head and followed the other woman's movement. She clashed their lips together and let her hands entangle themselves with dark hair. The kiss was deep and passionate, yet aggressive and demanding. Khara broke the kiss when the need for air became too much for the wolf.

Serana's eyes were locked on Khara's. She moved a hand up to the wolf's lips and parted them with a finger, revealing two sharp fangs. Khara's eyes were closed as Serana moved her fingers along the wolf's jaw in a sweet caress before finding her lips again. She used her index finger to feel Khara's new fangs and in doing so made her finger bleed, exactly as she planned. She let her bleeding finger travel along the wolf's lower lip before bringing it to her own lips and stopping the bleeding.

Khara opened her eyes as she let her tongue taste the red liquid on her lips. _Holy shit…_ Her eyes automatedly moved to Serana's throat, but the wolf quickly turned her head to the side, trying to remove the thoughts of the sweet blood that she could still taste on her tongue.

"No, that's quite alright." Serana said as she used a hand to move Khara's head back, letting their eyes met again. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, if anything it's charming." Serana moved closer to Khara. "I too want to do that." She whispered as she brushed her lips against warm skin as she moved closer to the wolf's ear. "You can, you know." She whispered as she moved her lips against the wolf's skin. "I certainly wouldn't mind."

" _Gods_ , Serana…You're being all kinds of irresistible now." Khara whined.

Serana smiled as she snaked an arm around Khara's waist, pulling the woman closer. " _I want to feel your fangs_." She purred into the wolf's ear.

Those words put a smile on Khara's lips. She moved so that she could see those orange eyes again. Khara let Serana see her smirk before moving her lips to the woman's neck. It would just come natural, right? _Yeah, I can do this, heck I want to do this_. Khara thought and without anything else, she granted Serana her wish and let her new fangs sink into the cool skin. When the blood hit her tongue, she forgot how to think, how to _be._ Her dragon stopped within her mind along with the wolf as they were all three speechless. Rich, spicy, sweet, luscious, _delicious_ , the wolf didn't know enough words to describe the taste _or_ how it made her feel. She let out a muffled moan as she continued to drink.

The feeling of having the wolf drink her blood and enjoy it made Serana feel all kinds of wonderful, that buzzing feeling returned to her as she held on to her wolf. Electricity entered her body and made her desire to feel her wolf in other ways increase.

And Khara knew for she could smell it, and it made her own need to feel more increase as well. With one hand she lifted Serana a little as she settled her other hand between the woman's legs before lowering Serana down again. Khara removed her lips from Serana's neck and moved them to soft lips.

The feeling of having the wolf's fingers between her legs was unexpected, but very much wanted. Serana moaned into Khara's mouth as those fingers entered her. "Now you bite me." Khara said in a hoarse voice against Serana's lips as she continued her mission to send Serana to her own little version of Sovngarde. Serana did as Khara told her, and she did so gladly. She let her fangs sink into warm flesh, letting the warm blood flow into her mouth, thus completing what was needed to create the blood bond between the two.

Serana removed her fangs as she felt her mind open up and letting something, someone else in. She moved to rest her forehead against Khara's as she used her hips to roll down onto the wolf's fingers, aiding Khara a little. Their eyes were locked and Serana smirked when she felt herself getting ever so closer to her own release, but why not share it with the wolf? She grabbed the back of Khara's head, gripping the wolf's hair tightly. Khara hissed at the little shot of pain she felt and Serana only smirked at her. And then Khara felt it, it hit her like a giant's mace. Whatever Serana was feeling, she felt it too.

Khara bowed her head down and licked off the few drops of blood that had managed to roll down from her bite mark on Serana's neck. She helped Serana down on her fingers harder than before and curled her fingers. Serana released a deep, strangled moan at the feeling, her nails leaving marks on the wolf's back. And all the feelings that travelled through Serana, Khara felt too. The wolf gripped onto Serana as her mouth, her fangs flew down onto the swell of Serana's right breast. _Holy mother of Talos…_ Khara now knew why vampires were so obsessed with biting and showing off their fangs all the time, it felt fucking amazing.

Poor Serana didn't even have any warnings as she felt another sensation enter her, leaving her in a state of pure bliss, she was unable to breathe, unable to think as she could only focus on what she was currently feeling. Serana's body fell limb against the wolf's body and Khara gently lowered herself and Serana back on the bed. They were both trying to catch their breaths as nothing except their heartbeats could be heard.

With her eyes closed the wolf placed a lazy kiss on Serana's cheek before she moved her hand to Serana's back, hugging her as she inhaled deeply through her nose. Serana responded with a weak kiss of her own on the wolf's jaw.

Time passed and they just laid there, silent and content. The storm was well and alive outside as rain hit the windows on the manor and the lighting gave them a little light show. They didn't know for how long they had been in the bed, but they both knew that behind those stormy clouds, the sun was setting. They had managed to spend an entire day in bed and neither could find it in themselves felt bad about it.

Serana was the first to move as she turned her head a little, making it so their eyes met.

 _You alright?_ A different voice in her head asked. Khara's eyes shot open as she looked down at Serana, who was smiling at her. "Did you just…You just did that, didn't you?"

"Yeah, try it. Just pretend that I can hear your thoughts and say something to me." Serana said with a smile, the wolf reaction was entertaining.

 _Testing, one two three_. Serana laughed as the wolf's words, erm, thoughts. "Dork."

"That is so cool." Khara was like a child who just entered the candy store for the first time, her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Her blue eyes widened a little more when Serana rolled off her and laid next to her on her back, she could see her mark on Serana now. "Among other things…" She mumbled, seeing her mark was making her feel proud almost, as weird as that may sound.

Serana rose an eyebrow before following the wolf's gaze. _Oh…_ She let a finger trace over the mark. "You sure did leave it in an memorable place, didn't you?" Serana said amused.

" _I'msorryIdidn'tmeanto_." Khara mumbled extremely fast as she hid her face with her hands.

Serana's eyes traveled to the wolf when she heard how embarrassed the wolf sounded. She laughed at the sight, this was Riften all over again. "No, Khara." She laughed out as she moved closer to the woman. "I love it, don't hide." She said as she placed a kiss on the wolf's hands. "Khara…" She whispered.

 _I know you can hear me, love_. Khara groaned when she heard Serana's voice in her mind. "I just…I got lost in the moment, I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry, I didn't exactly ask for your permission when I marked you, remember?" Serana reasoned as she slowly removed the wolf's hands. "It's natural and it's beautiful and I love it." _Look at me, Khara_. Serana whispered in the wolf's mind.

Khara opened her eyes and met Serana's orange ones. Her new enhanced vision made her really see Serana's beauty and it kept surprising her. Serana rose an eyebrow at the wolf. "I know I'm staring, but I really can't help it." Khara said honestly.

Serana just smiled and shook her head. "It only means I get to stare back. Now, I know it's getting late, but we should be on our way to Riften or at least go outside. The fresh air will do us both some good and you really haven't seen anything before you see the stars at night."

Khara smiled at the woman's words. "How about we go to the tavern for a couple hours and then we'll go get our horses and head out."

"I believe that should be fine, yes."

"Very good, my lady, very good indeed. I shall inform the innkeeper to prepare the red carpet for your arrival, Lady Serana." Khara said in a snobbish voice, her inner child getting the better of her.

"Excellent, I look forward to it." Serana played along, some silliness was healthy the mind and soul.

Khara's eyes lit up when Serana joined in on her little act. "And you call me dork, eh?" She said as she laughed and poked Serana's side.

"Shut up." Serana laughed out. She rolled away from Khara sat on the edge of the bed. "Come now, we should get dressed."

"Can't we just stay like this?" Khara wined as she rolled on her stomach and stretched her whole body.

"And let others to see the goods?" Serana gestured to her own chest, a smirk on her lips.

Khara's head whipped around and looked at Serana with a serious look. "Never." She said with a strong voice. Next thing she knew there was a shirt on her face.

"Then get dressed." Serana said amused. She got dressed and went downstairs while Khara got her armor on, she was using a more light armor this time around.

While getting the straps tied, she wanted to try this blood-bond-mind-communication-thingy again. _Can you still hear me?_ She thought to Serana.

 _Yup_. Was the woman's answer. "This is so cool!" Was all Serana could hear in response from where she stood on the floor below, it made her chuckle.

* * *

 _Oh, misty eye of the mountain below  
Keep careful watch over my brothers souls  
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke  
Keep watching over Skyrim's folk_

 _If this is to end in fire  
Then we should all burn together  
Watch the flames climb high into the night_

 _Calling out father, oh  
Stand by and we will  
Watch the flames burn auburn on  
The mountain side…_

The song contained to play as people were singing along with it. Just like all other days, The Winking Skeever was as crowded and cheerful as always. People were cheering and drinking while telling tales of old to their friends.

Serana and Khara sat at their table as the music played on. Serana had to admit that the bard that was singing was good, like really good. His voice was light and pure, but could still turn dark and hold deep tunes. It was in fact the very same bard that were singing the last time they were in her. She didn't pay much attention to the boy then as she was too busy with other things, but now she let her eyes run over the boys form. His hair was that of a light red and a little messy, but he was not unclean or such. He wasn't too tall, Serana was taller so he must be an Imperial.

"He's good, huh?" Khara asked when she saw the woman's gaze were on the bard.

"Yeah, his voice is a little different from what you normally hear. What's his name?" Serana asked as she turned her gaze back to the wolf.

Khara smiled as her eyes looked back at where the bard was. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Khara said in a low voice.

Serana turned to look back at the bard and sure enough, he was making his way over to them with a huge smile plastered on his face. "Good day, ladies. I apologize for my intrusion, but you are the Dragonborn, are you not?" He asked amazed. "I'm sorry, but you a huge inspiration for my songwriting." He said as she took a step back.

"That's alright kid." Khara chuckled. "My friend here wonders what you name is, if you would be so kind."

"Of course!" He turned to Serana and gave her a polite bow. "I'm Eddie Heraan, pleased to meet you both."

"You're quite new in Solitude, right?" Khara asked.

"That's right, I got into the Collage a few weeks back, been here ever since. I heard that you are a member too, it that right?"

"Aye, that's true. Although I'm not as active within the Collage as the other members are."

"That's a shame, but I can see why that is." Some people stating yelling the kid's name as their hunger for more songs and instruments playing increased. "Sorry, but I'm on actually on work right now, the innkeeper hired me some night ago, have a good stay you two." And with that he ran back up to the little stage and started playing his lute again.

"Are you ready to leave for Riften?" Khara whispered to Serana.

"Hm, one more song." She whispered back as she leaned into Khara's side.

"Whatever you want." Khara responded as she returned to enjoy her mead that had a something little extra in it, thanks to Serana. The road to Riften would be long and seeing to how the storm was still howling on the outside, it would be wet and cold as well. There was towns and taverns along the road ahead so, if the storm would become too much they had options, but till then they would stay and enjoy the music along the drinks.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I know, I know. _Eddie Heraan_ haha, sorry had to do it. Right so there really wasn't any action in this chapter, but I wasn't really in the mood for that and well, it has been a little while since we had a quiet chapter, aye? I also understand if some of you think that Serana got over the death of her father rather fast, but in my mind, she simply decided to focus on the _good_ instead of the bad. Her loss will not fade just like that I assure you.

I'm working on getting ideas for new quests and have one in mind, but how it will work with Khara and Serana and their… I don't know, their opinions and morals and all, well it will be a challenge for sure. But I do have the quest written down, I just have to figure out how they go from one place to another, shouldn't be too hard!

I also managed to cut my hand quite badly the other day so the next chapter might take longer than normal, but other than that everything should be okey.

Riften will be our next stop, the Thieves Guild along with some other characters, and with some luck, the start of our next questline. As always sorry for the spelling mistakes and such!

Have a great day guys and gals, I'll see you all in the next one!

-Zep


	16. Chapter 16

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 16_

 _A hidden Blade_

"So, I have a question." Serana said after they had fallen into a comfortable silence.

"Yeah?" Khara said as she turned her head to Serana, waiting for the question.

"Guards keep saying, _I used to be an adventure like you, then I took an arrow to the knee._ Is that some sort of saying or something?" Serana asked with a slight confused voice.

"Oh, yeah. It means that they are married. You know, they dropped down on a knee and popped the big question to their beloved and all. Guards have a more reliable income too, better for providing for the family and such." Khara explained as they rode.

Serana laughed. "It all makes sense now. What about you?" Serana asked as she looked at the wolf.

"What about me?" Khara said as she looked at the path.

"Do you want to take an arrow to the knee someday?" Serana asked carefully.

Khara looked into Serana's eyes as the question echoed throughout her mind. "I guess eventually, but not in the traditionally way." Khara said as she turned her gaze. "I like the idea of exchanging the rings along with the words, but I don't see why it would need to be in a temple, in front of a priest, asking for the blessings of the Gods. I just don't see why…" Why were words so hard to find at times?

"Why have others judge and approve the oaths and promises when the two who are doing it knows it themselves." Serana continued for the wolf.

Khara turned her gaze back to Serana. "Exactly."

Serana smiled and turned her gaze back to the path, they still had a long ride in front of them before reaching Riften.

"Do you want to take a break?" Khara asked as she knew they were getting closer to an inn.

"Yeah, I also think the horses could use some shelter from all this snow." Serana answered as snow fell from the dark clouds above.

"Alright, there is an inn just around here. Nightgate Inn, they have stables and food for the horses." Khara said as she gave a small nod.

"Who would build an inn out here?" Serana said as she moved her hood a little in an attempt to block out the snow.

"The owner says it was built by his great-grandfather. I guess for some people you take what you can and work with it, I can't see anyone being interested in buying it, so the owner is just making the best of a shitty situation." Khara said as they got closer to the inn.

"Surely there must be more business now with the war and all?" Serana asked as she jumped of her horse and guided it to the stables alongside with Khara.

"Oh yeah, lots of folk travel thought here these days." Khara closed the little wooden gate so that the horses wouldn't leave the stables. "The owner, Hadring, is making more gold than his entire family have done in decades." Khara walked over to the inn's entrance and opened the door for Serana.

Serana sent the wolf a sweet smile as she walked past and entered the inn. There weren't many people there, she could see the innkeeper, an orc and an old man, that's it.

The innkeeper looked at who was entering his business and smiled when he saw a familiar face. "Now, now…Look who it is who honors us with her presence!" He yelled as he threw a rag over his shoulder and placed a mug down on the counter. "Out on some adventure again?" He said as he walked over to them.

"Not this time, just getting to Riften. We got two horses in the stables." Khara informed him as she gave him a coin purse.

"Alright, I'm a little busy working downstairs on some new rooms, you know here everything is, yeah? Just help yourselves, all of this-" He gestures to the coins. "Are more than enough to buy all the damn food I have in the place." He chuckled as he walked back to where he stood before.

Khara let her eyes fall on the two others in the room before letting her guard down a little. She walked over to the kitchen, grabbed two apples and some wine and two cups before walking out. She walked down the stairs and together with Serana they entered a room and locked the door.

Khara threw an apple to Serana and sat down on a chair while thinking about the man upstairs, his weapon seemed familiar, very familiar. "Did that man in the corner seem a little tense to you too?" She asked Serana.

"Now that I think of it, yeah. He was looking at us like he was ready to fight." Serana said as she took a bite of the apple Khara had given her.

"I think we should have a little chat with him before we leave, his blade is normally carried by members of the organization called The Blades. They were some of the ones that helped me defeat Alduin, but there aren't many of them left since they are being hunted by the Thalmor."

"That might explain why he seemed so tense then." Serana said with a nod. "If you want to talk to him then I got your back." Khara smiled a grateful smile before pouring the wine into the cups. "I took you for more of a mead kind of lady."

"I can enjoy a cup of wine every now and then, I just find mead to be more satisfying most of the time. I fear that the mead too will taste more dull from now on, though." Khara said as she pretended to act disappointed.

"Why is that?" Serana asked with a raised eyebrow as she got handed the wine by Khara, she moved to sit on the bed, facing the wolf.

"I've recently been introduced to something far better…" Khara said as she looked into her cup of red liquid. Oh, how she wished it was another kind of red in it. She held the cup a little in the air as she swirled it, letting the wine more around in the cup while her eyes slowly moved over to Serana.

Serana was looking back at her with a smirk on her lips. "You got it bad, Khara." She chuckled. "But I too have the same problem." Serana said as she put her cup on the table at the foot of the bed and moved up to lay down. "Oh, how will we survive?" She said in a dramatic voice as she moved an arm to cover her eyes.

Khara smiled as she too put her cup down and slowly walked over to the bed. "I think I might have a solution to our problem." She said as she got into the bed and moved over to where Serana laid.

"Feel free to share it." Serana said with a grin as Khara laid down next to her.

"Oh, but you see there is a price to pay for such information." Khara said as she got comfortable on the bed.

Serana rolled her eyes as she rolled her body too and looked at the wolf. "And what is your price?" She said as she moved to hover over Khara. Khara bit her lips as she smiled at Serana, her eyes sparkling with joy. Serana had to smile at the sight. "You sure seem happy." She whispered as she leaned down, letting their lips meet.

Khara hummed into the kiss as she moved her hands around Serana's waist. She rolled them over as Serana worked on her armor, making the wolf's neck exposed. Khara too had loosen Serana's clothes and without any warning, she bit down where Serana's neck met her shoulder.

Serana threw her head back as she knew why Khara had chosen to bite there and not her neck. It wasn't a place to drink from and the wolf knew this, no, Khara was simply leaving Serana with a little love bite. Some blood entered the wolf's mouth, but she wasn't all that hungry for it at the moment, she simply wanted to show Serana how she felt.

Khara removed her fangs and showered the cool neck with kisses. "I love you."

It didn't matter how many times Serana heard those words leave her wolf's mouth, it always had that same effect on her. She smiled bashfully and rolled them over. Khara let out a little surprised shriek at the unexpected move, but smiled too. Serana let her hand travel down Khara's cheek as she spoke in a soft voice. "I love you." Serana moved the little distance needed to make their lips touch.

"Not…Hungry?" Was all Khara managed to say as Serana wouldn't let her break the kiss. Somehow Serana's hand had managed to get past Khara's armor and shirt and the side of her stomach. "Careful now." Khara warned with a playful voice.

"I just want to feel your skin." Serana said honestly, it was all she wanted for the moment. She spread her fingers and felt the warm skin under them. She took Khara's bottom lip between her own and sucked gently before letting go. She dragged her lips down to the wolf's neck where she hid her face against the warm skin.

Khara closed her eyes and relaxed too. It was nice to finally get out of the snow storm and into _this._ Lying in a warm bed with Serana on top of her. She moved a hand to the back of Serana's neck and let her fingertips run over the skin, leaving behind featherlight touches. She moved them up and down, to the sides and back again, repeating the movements. She felt Serana melt under her touch and it brought a smile to her lips.

Serana didn't know for just how long they stayed like this, some minutes, hours perhaps? She was so relaxed under the wolf's touch. Serana moved a little and placed her head next to Khara on the pillow.

Khara turned her head and looked at Serana, their noses touched as did their foreheads, soft blue staring into glowing orange. "Can I show you something after Riften?" Khara whispered. Serana's eyes darted between Khara's ones. "On top of the Throat of the World? I'll enchant the cloak for you, make it so you won't feel the cold winds."

Serana's lips slowly turn into a small. "Okay."

"Okay." Khara repeated with a smile of her own. She moved a little and placed a kiss on Serana's forehead. "Ready to have a little talk with our friend upstairs?" She asked softly.

"Lead the way." Serana said with a smile.

They got out of the bed, then after a few more minutes, the room. They walked upstairs and spotted their target. Khara walked straight towards the man and sat down by the table, sitting opposite from the man. Serana leaned against the wall on the side, standing next to Khara. He raised his gaze from his cup and looked at the two.

"Hadring got himself some other customers, eh?" He said, clearly the cup he was currently drinking from wasn't the man's first drink for the day.

"Aye, that he does. You new around here?" Khara asked as she leaned back and crossed her arms. The man looked at Khara with careful eyes, he was clearly hiding something, but what was the question.

"Maybe, maybe not. What's it to you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…" Khara leaned over the table and looked at the man's belt. "That weapon you got there is rather unique, not many carries them." She pointed out.

"Family heirloom, got it from my pa when he passed away." He said as he looked a little on edge.

"Ah, you see an old order of warriors used to carry such weapons. Have you heard about the Akaviri?" Khara said as she looked to the side, pretending not to be too focused on the conversation.

"Well, yes, of course. Who haven't?" The man said, he almost sounded offended.

"Good, now what about the Blades?" She turned her gaze back at the man.

His jaw muscles clenched and his eyes widened the tiniest bit. "Never heard of em'." He said as he leaned further back on his chair.

"Because of the Thalmor?" Khara pressed on. He froze as their eyes were locked on each other. He shot up from his seat and reached for his blade, but Khara quickly did the same and grabbed his arm. Serana moved a little closer incase her wolf would need assistance. "If you are a member of the Blades then you don't have any enemies here." Khara said as she looked at him.

"And how do I know I can trust you?" He hissed.

"I know Delphine and Esbern." Khara said in an attempt to calm the man down.

"You what?...No, you can be working for the Thalmor for all I know!"

"And what about Sky Haven Temple? Would a Thalmor know about that?" His eyes widened at her words, she knew that Esbern hadn't told many of the Temple.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice a little lower this time.

"I am the Dragonborn, you can trust me. I fucking hate the Thalmor and how they operate within Skyrim." Maybe it was her words or how she said them that made the man grin a little.

"Alright then, but if this turns out to be some sick act, I'll haunt you from the grave, you hear me?" He warned as he sat down again. He was old and tired, if this turned out to be a trap then he would at least get a good fight out of it.

"Loud and clear. Now, what's your name?" She asked as she nodded at him.

"Fultheim, I was a soldier during The Great War. In the second I heard about the Empire signed The White-Gold Concordat and allowed the Thalmor to legally hunt down and kill Blades members, I fled to Skyrim and have been here ever since." He explained. "Every damn time that door opens I hold my breath, damn Thalmor can come in any second." He said as his eyes drifted over to the entrance of the inn.

Khara nodded at him. "Do you know where Sky Haven Temple is, Fultheim?" She asked him.

"No, Esbern told us lots about it, but never it's exact location." He explained.

"I don't dare write it down on a map incase, you know…But if I show it to you, do you think you can find your way there?" Khara asked as she tilted her head a little.

"Of that I'm positive." He said with a nod.

"Alright." Khara brought out her map and placed in on the table. She looked around and saw that no one else where in the room with them. "Right here." She pointed to a place within the Reach.

"Yeah, I can get there." He said as he looked around the room. "I guess I better start packing then." He said with a chuckle. "It's going to be strange seeing the others again." He shook his head and got up from his seat, as did Khara.

"We got two horses in the stables, take one, it'll get you there faster." Khara offered.

He looked at her with wide eyes and stretched out his arm for her to shake. "Thank you for this, it's good to know that some of my fellow Blades members survived the slaughter." Khara smiled and gave him a nod before he vanished into his room.

Serana walked over to her wolf and patted her on the shoulder. "I'd say that's the good deed for the day done." Serana looked at Khara and smiled. "You got a big heart, you know."

"Well, the ultimate tragedy in this word isn't the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people." Khara said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Who said that?" Serana just knew Khara was quoting someone.

"A argonian warrior who fought for the freedom of his people."

"You sure do love your quotes, don't you?" Serana said with a chuckle.

"I have a weakness for wise words, yes." Khara said with a grin. "Do you want to stay for a little while longer?" She asked for she herself was ready to head out. They had been there for a few hours now, the horses would have some of their strength back.

"I'm good to head out if you are." Serana said as she leaned on the wolf's shoulder.

"Let's get going then." Khara said as she moved her arm around Serana's waist and brought the woman with her as she walked towards the door. The road to Riften was pretty much just a straight stretch of road now if you don't count the little climb they need to do in order to enter the Rift. They would soon be out of The Pale and enter Eastmarch, hopefully the weather would change as they entered the other hold.

* * *

"Well now, isn't this a pleasant surprise, you've come on visit, eh?" Rune said as he opened the gate for his Guild Master.

"Just checking how you lot are doing, haven't burned down any houses yet, have we?" Khara said back as she passed her fellow member.

"No boss, everything is as smooth as a baby's bottom, you have my word."

"And how much is your word these days, Rune? Twenty, thirty coins perhaps?"

Rune placed a hand over his heart and looked at Khara with a pained expression on his face. "You've hurt my feelings now, that's what you've done." Then his facial expression changed a little. "It's thirty-five I'll have you know." His innocent act flew out the window in the second that smirk appeared on his lips. He patted Khara on the shoulder and gave a friendly nod to Serana. "Always a pleasure to talk with ye, go now before you get me in trouble." He said with a smile as he waved the off.

"Why does most Guild members seem so…High on life?" Serana asked, a smile forming on her lips over her own words.

Khara laughed at Serana's spot on words. "Must be the lifestyle, careless and carefree. They are free to do as they wish most of the time, within reason of course."

"Doesn't that make them hard to control and oversee them?" Serana wondered out loud.

"It would be, but the moral is so damn high all the time, it's really not a problem around here." And that was the truth, every night was a night of celebration in the Guild.

They walked through the empty streets of Riften. No one expect the city guards was out with them. "Keep going straight here, I want to show you the Guild's secret entrance." Khara said as she walked past the bridge that would take them to the marketplace. "Just in case you'll have need of it in the future." She said when she felt Serana's eyes on her. "It's right around the cor-." Serana placed her hand over, silencing her.

Serana moved a finger to her own lips. _There is someone else here, listen._ Serana said in her mind to the wolf.

 _That's not illegal._ Khara said back.

 _Then why are their hearts beating so fast?_ Khara's eyes widened when she heard it too. Why would someone walk past a graveyard in the middle of the night? Whatever they were doing, they didn't want to be seen or heard.

Khara and Serana walked in the shadows and followed the sound of footsteps. From what they heard there was only two people, one heavier than the other. They spotted the owners of the sounds just before they slipped out the back gate. They just managed to see an older figure dragging a smaller one, probably a child out the gate.

Serana furrowed her brows as she pulled Khara with her, something was very wrong and she wanted to know what it was. "That didn't look like it was just a nice little walk through the city." She whispered a she led them over to the gate. "Something about this feels wrong."

"Let's get in the bottom of this then." Khara said as she carefully opened the gate and signaled to Serana that the path was clear. They saw the people as they got out of the city. "This gate is supposed to be guarded." Khara whispered.

"I smell blood, Khara." Serana said back and sure enough, the two guards who are supposed to watch the gate lied dead by some rock a few feet from them. The two women sneaked closer to whoever had left the city. They spotted them and hid behind a tree when they saw someone else approaching them.

"That's the one?" A deep male voice spoke.

"Yes, young and clean, just like we discussed over the letters. It's the oldest one I have for the moment, more are supposed to come in next week." An old voice of a female spoke. Khara's eyes widened when she recognized the voice. "Now then, you know the price."

"I still don't see how she is worth two thousand coins…" The man said as she grabbed the kid's chin and looked at her.

"You know well I don't take less, now pay up, you've never had any problems with my prizes before." The woman, Grelod said to the man.

"That was different, they were boys. She can't even lift a sword or keep up with us I recon." The man huffed as he let his hand fall from the young girl's chin.

"She will prove useful in _other ways_." Grelod said and the man smirked as she walked around the girl, as if he was looking at a piece of meat, disgusting.

"I'm sure she will." He said as he reached into his pockets. "Why do you charge so much still though? Don't the donations for the orphanage satisfy your hunger, old lady?" He asked as he handed her the gold.

"Over the years I have acquired a taste for the more delicate things in life." Was Grelod's response.

The man chuckled. "I'm sure you have. Well, as long as you're selling, we're buying." He said as he grabbed the arm of the girl.

That was the last thing that Khara could manage to hear, it made her sick to her stomach. For years now, she had donated no small sums of gold to the orphanage of Riften, gold that was supposed to be used on the kids that lived there, not that old hag. She grabbed her dagger and threw it at the man, the dagger placed itself in the man's skull, ending his life.

Serana too was shocked about the conversation they had listened to. She moved up to the young girl when she saw that Khara was walking up to the old lady. "Hey, it's fine." She said as removed the piece of cloth from the girl's mouth. "You're safe now." Serana said as she looked at the frightened child. The girl didn't care that her savior's eyes were orange or that they were glowing, she held on to Serana for dear life. Serana was a little surprised by the sudden contact, but she hugged the girl back as she moved back a little, the kid didn't need to see nor hear what Khara was about do.

"You fucking sell orphans off to bloody bandits?" Khara hissed as her eyes glowed in a bright blue. She walked up to Grelod in a fast pace and grabbed the old hag's shirt and pulled her closer. "And you use the donated money on yourself alone?" Khara growled.

Grelod's eyes were wide and full of fear as she looked into blue orbs filled with anger. "I...I…" She stammered as her fright was getting the better of her.

"Fucking answer me, is it true? Yes or no Grelod!" Khara hissed as she shook the woman with her hands, her grip on the hag tightened for each passing second.

"Yes! I've used it! I've sold them! But, there isn't a single thing you can do about it." Grelod said, trying to scare the wolf, but Khara could hear the uncertainty in the old woman's voice.

"Not a thing I can do about it?" Khara's voice was cold and harsh. "There are so many things I can do about it, you old hag."

Grelod's face froze a little before speaking again. "I'm in good with the Thieves Guild you bitch, touch me and they'll end you." The hag spat.

Khara let out a sarcastic laugh at her words. She pulled the hag closer and looked her dead in the eye. "I'm the fucking Guild Master you idiot. The whole city of Riften are in my grip, and you fucking decided to try and pull something like this off?" Khara spat as she felt her anger rise within her. "I would throw you in a cell and let you rot, but I just told you of my involvement with the Guild…" Khara dragged out the last word, finding little pleasure seeing how Grelod was connecting the dots. "Can't have you running around telling people now, can we?" Inside Khara's mind her wolf aspect growled along with her dragon. To sell children was something they all felt strong hatred towards.

The old woman's eyes widened impossibly more when she realized to what Khara was saying. "You wouldn't dare do that…" Her voice was unsure of itself.

"No? You are involved with the death of two city guards, the kidnappings and neglect of at least a dozen children, orphan children." Khara looked at the corpse of the man and used a hand to summon the telekinesis spell. She used the magic to make her dagger fly back in her hand before turning her gaze back to the hag. "I do believe in justice, law and order." She said and for a moment she could Grelod get a glimpse of hope in her old eyes. "But I also believe that you spending some years in the prison won't serve justice for all of those children you have forsaken. I have no empathy nor tolerance for people like you." Khara said, her voice lower this time.

"No, I won't do it again, I swear it!" She begged, but the wolf had already made up her mind. "I-I'll give you your gold back, every single coin!" _Ek rot los balaan._ The dragon warned. _I agree_. Khara answered.

Khara shook her head and forced Grelod down on her knees. She placed the dagger to the woman's throat before speaking again. "I hope that where ever you go, Grelod. It will be cold, dark and lonely." She slit her throat and moved out of the way before the blood hit her.

This was something the wolf didn't do often. Kill a person that was begging for their life, on their knees, defenseless. Khara did feel some shame over her action, but the feeling of justice was stronger. The world didn't need people like Grelod and Khara knew that, but still she felt like she let her rage take over there for a moment, and that she didn't like.

Khara looked down at Grelod as the woman had her hands around her throat in an attempt to stop the inevitable. When the woman fell to the dirt, Khara only shook her head before grabbing the letters Grelod had in her pockets before walking back into the city where Serana had gone with the kid. She entered the city and met Serana who was still holding the girl. "Let's get her to the orphanage, I need to talk with Constance Michel." Khara said as she looked at Serana and the girl."

Serana nodded as she held the girls hand, the kid was a little calmer now. They walked over to the building and entered. They saw a woman sitting by a table in the room in front of them. The woman turned and looked at them, then the kid. Her eyes widened before she spoke. "Runa? W-what happened?" The woman got out of her chair and fell to her knees as she opened her arms for the little girl. Runa ran into her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Khara looked down and got to look Michel in the eyes. "We need to talk."

The woman nodded before she moved a little to look at Runa's face. "Go to your brothers, okey? Everything will be fine, I promise." Michel's voice was calming, kind and caring. Runa's face relaxed only a moment after she heard Michel speak.

"Yes, miss." Runa said in a weak and tired voice as her small legs carried her out of the room. Michel closed the door and gestured for Serana and Khara to sit.

"What happened? Why did you come with Runa, she was supposed to be with her new adoptive parents by now." Michel asked as her eyes darted between the two other women in the room.

"That's why Grelod took her out in the middle of the night? To hand her over to her new _adoptive parents_?" The way Khara said those last words made Michel look at her with confusion. "You don't know about Grelod, do you?"

"Know what about her?" Michel said with a confused voice.

Khara sighed as she ran her hand though her hair. "Runa wasn't handed over to her new parents, she was about to be sold off to bandits, Michel." Khara handed the woman the letter that she had gotten off Grelod. "She's been doing it for some time it looks like, she's also been stealing from the donations to the orphanage." Khara said in a tired voice.

"A-And Grelod, where is-" Michel's voice was shocked and a little sad.

"She got what she deserved." Khara said quickly.

Michel nodded as she brought a hand up to her mouth. She believed that Grelod was just a little hard on the children, that's all. She almost couldn't believe that Grelod was even capable to do such things to the poor children.

"Listen…I'll continue to donate the normal sums I usually do, alright? And if anyone bothers you, I'm sure the Guild would gladly help you out." Khara said as she looked around the room.

"Why would the Guild bother with us?" Constance asked as she looked at Khara.

"Just trust me, they aren't as bad as they used to be." Khara said as her eyes fell back on Michel.

"What will I do if the guards come asking about Grelod?" Michel asked, now slightly worried.

"Just show them the letters, they prove her crimes." Khara looked at the door to the bedrooms. "What about Runa, will she be alright?"

"Oh, yes I believe so. She have seen her fair share of horrible things in her short life, this shouldn't be much different. I'll let her have some days to calm down, show her that she's safe and all." Michel said with a small, sad smile.

"Good…" Khara reached into her pouch and grabbed another coin purse she placed it on the table and stood up with Serana. "Use that to let the kids have some fun in the coming days, yeah?" Michel smiled a little smile as she nodded. "Good, I know a lot of people Michel, if you ever need help with anything, you just send me a raven, alright?"

"I will, thank you." Michel said with a firm nod.

"Alright, have a good night." And with that Khara and Serana left the building, leaving Michel to her own thoughts.

They walked back to the secret Guild entrance and Khara pressed a hidden button to open it. Serana saw the look in Khara's eyes, they were still glowing indicating that the wolf was still angry thinking about it deeply.

Khara felt something in her chest and it made her look over at Serana while they walked through a narrow corridor. "I just can't imagine that people would use children like that." She said in a low voice. "Making a living off their misfortunes."

"As sad as it is, many people do that these days. But thanks to you, there is one less now."

"Thanks to _us_." Khara said as she gently bumped her elbow into Serana's side. "But it's dealt with, yeah…I sure could use some mead right about now." Khara mumbled the last sentence out.

"That makes two of us." Serana said.

"I did the right thing back there, right?" Khara now asked, her voice somewhat small.

Serana's eyes widened the smallest amount as she looked at her wolf. "I would have done the same thing, Khara." She answered. "I believe that is was the best thing to do in a pretty bad situation." Serana said as she looked into blue eyes.

Khara only nodded as she looked forward. "Thanks." She whispered as they walked.

They walked into the main room of the Guild and were greeted by a few members that were still awake. They walked straight into the dining area and sat down by a table in the corner. Brynjolf spotted the two and walked over to greet them.

"Ladies." He said as she sat down. "Everything alright, lass? You seem a little off." Khara groaned as her head fell to the table. Poor Brynjolf only got more confused and looked over at Serana for help.

Serana offered him a little smile. "Longs story short, that Grelod lady who runs the orphanage was corrupt and are no longer a problem."

"Oh, I…" He was about to say something else, but decided against it when his eyes fell on Khara again. "Well alright then." He looked over to the bar and whistled to Vekel as he showed the man two fingers, telling him that he needed to bottles of mead, fast. "Anything you want me to do, boss?"

"Yes, could you make a rather large anonymous donation to the orphanage? I think poor Michel will have a lot of work to do in the coming days, she's going to run it on her own now. Just take the gold from my safe in the vault, alright?"

"You got it. I also might have a young lad that could help Michel, I can make him ask to work there since he wasn't really fit to do our kind of jobs." Brynjolf said as he offered his guild master a small smile.

"That's would be great, cheers Bryn." Khara said, sounding a little more cheerful this time around.

"Don't mention it. Now then, why are you two here again?" He asked.

"Just thought we might check on you lot, see how everything was going and all. Is there anything you need help with?" Khara asked as Vekel placed some bottles of mead on their table.

Brynjolf thanked the man before speaking. "Well, there is something, but I wouldn't call it a job."

"What is it?" Khara asked, she was a little curious now.

"We're interested in expanding a little, just like we talked about. The plan is to make it our official place for the public, so that that's where they go when they need lost heirlooms or some of the other jobs that we offer. It will have a different name as people still don't fancies thieves for some odd reason." Brynjolf said with a smirk. "We'll get some new members that will only work up there, be the face of the organization and all while we are the ones that does the jobs."

"Good, what will the place we called then?" _Please say Goldenclaw, please say Goldenclaw_. Khara said in her mind.

"The Goldenclaw Company." Brynjolf said with a sigh.

"Hah!" Khara cheered as she punched him in the arm. "Told you people liked mine better."

"The Lone Digger wasn't that bad." He muttered under his breath as he held his arm. "Anyways, we'll also import rare items from all over Tamriel. In other words, gold will flow. So, we want to get our hands on Mercer's old place, but since his death the manor have fallen into the Jarl's hands. Feel like doing some shopping, ladies?"

"How much will I need to pay?" Khara wasn't sure why she was asking, for the price really wasn't a problem.

"I'd say around forty, fiftyish." He said like it was nothing. "They are going to sell it tomorrow and there are many who are interested in buying, Khara." Brynjolf warned.

"That's not too bad. We'll go and visit the Jarl in the morning then." Serana only shook her head and smiled at the two.

"Wonderful." He said as she got up from his seat. He was about to leave when he turned around and pointed at Khara and Serana. "And don't you two think for a second that I don't know what is going on between you." He was expecting Khara to shy away, to blush or just lower her head. It was safe to say that he was pleasantly surprised when his Guild Master only smirked at him and wiggled her eyebrows. He laughed as he walked into the main room, leaving the two behind.

"I would have expected him to react differently." Serana said as she leaned back a little in her seat.

"Oh, why's that?" Khara asked as she rose an eyebrow.

"You know, I'm a woman…You're a woman." Serana said as she looked to the side and moved her hand in the air.

Khara smiled as she too leaned back. "That's one of the reasons I like the folk of Skyrim so much. They've realized something."

"And what might that be?"

"That we don't choose who we fall for, we just do. Most people in Skyrim knows and understand that." Khara said as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Wish it was like that when I was a mortal. Would have made all those meetings with the Jarl's sons so much easier." Serana said as she released a heavy sigh.

"Oh, no. Did your parents force you to meet possible _husbands,_ Serana?" Khara asked amused by the woman's facial expression.

Serana groaned as she placed her arms on the table and her head on top of them again. "Yes, it was hilarious at times thought, the boys trying to be so charming and all. Poor things, they never really had a chance." Serana said with a little laugh. The vampire's mind drifted over to those memories.

Khara chuckled along with Serana. "I can believe that." Khara said in a low voice as she looked at Serana. She saw that Serana was frowning for a second. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Serana turned to look at Khara and smiled. "Just a small headache, got a little lost in my thoughts I guess." There were still some other members around, enjoying their food and drinks while listening to the bard's music. Khara and Serana sat in the far back, isolated from the rest.

Khara moved her chair closer to Serana's and grabbed Serana's hand. She brought it to her lap and did something she thought Serana would find amusing. She moved her thumb over the soft area on woman's hand, right between where Serana's thumb and index finger met, and placed her own index finger in the same place underneath in Serana's palm. She then started to massage the hand, making sure not use too much pressure.

Serana's eyes fell to their hands as a faint smile could be seen on her lips. "Now you're just too charming." She said, her smile could easily be heard in her voice.

Khara released a small laugh as her hand continued its movements. "How do you think I felt when you did it to me?" Khara chuckled as she spoke.

Serana smiled as she remembered back to when she did this very same thing to Khara. "I guess this is only fair then."

"It sure is."

Serana turned her head to look at her wolf. "Do you want to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before we go to the auction?" She asked.

Khara turned her head and met Serana's gaze. "Yeah, I'd like that." After what had happened at the back gate, she felt a little tired.

Serana gave her wolf a small squeeze with her hand before getting up from the chair and Khara was quick to follow. They walked past the bar and sent a few greetings to the other members that met their eyes. They walked through the guilds sleeping quarters and entered Khara's chambers, both happy to be in a room alone.

They both removed their clothes and armor and stripped down to their undergarments. Khara walked over to the bed, but before she could sneak under the covers, two strong arms lifted her up. Serana laughed as she moved fast.

"Oh, what in oblivion!" Khara squealed as she was carried to the bed, then gently thrown onto it. She landed on her side and turned to lie on her back so that she could meet Serana's eyes.

Serana fell on top of Khara with a charming smile on her lips. She captured her wolf's warm lips in a gentle and sweet kiss before laying on her side next to Khara. No more words where said for a while as they simply laid there and looked into the other's eyes. After a while Khara couldn't stop a smile from growing on her lips, and Serana mirrored her.

"Is it weird that this doesn't feel weird?" Khara whispered, because it should feel a little odd, right? They were just laying there, in the dark looking at each other without breaking the sound of silence.

Serana gently shook her head before speaking. "I don't think it's weird that this doesn't feel weird." She responded with a gentle voice of her own.

"We are just staring at each other." The wolf said as her eyes left orange eyes and roamed the face of the woman next to her.

"We're not staring, Khara, we're appreciating." Those words made blue eyes meet orange ones right away.

"Smooth." Khara said as she released a small laugh.

Serana rolled her eyes playfully at her wolf before wiggling closer. Their bodies met and Serana released a content sigh at having a warm body against her cool one. Warm arms hugged her closer as she moved her head a little, her lips finding the smooth skin of her wolf's neck. "How are you doing?" Serana whispered.

How was being a vampire-werewolf hybrid treating the wolf? "I feel good, stronger and more aware than before. It's a strange feeling, but I feel more connected to my body, if that makes any sense." Khara answered honestly.

Serana placed a kiss on Khara's neck before speaking again. "It does make sense."

Khara smiled as she closed her eyes. "I feel more alive, but I'm pretty sure that you're the reason for that." Serana closed her eyes with a smile on her lips. "What about you?"

"It still hurts, but there wasn't anything that could have been done differently." Serana nuzzled further unto Khara's neck. "But having you close makes it easier."

"As long as I still breathe, I will be with you. There isn't a soul on Mundus that could keep me away from you." Khara said in a gentle voice as she gave Serana a little squeeze.

Serana released a shaky breath at Khara's words, once more her wolf had left her speechless. There was so many things she wanted to express, but she didn't find words worthy of Khara, worthy of just how strong these feeling were. So, she simply reached up and placed on more kiss on smooth lips, trying to channel the storm of feelings in her chest to the woman next to her. It must have worked for when she opened her eyes, blue orbs looked back at her with such care that she felt the storm within her transform into a hurricane, but she didn't mind.

Their foreheads met, and they shared one more look and one more kiss before they let themselves get claimed by sleep.

* * *

"Hail Dragonborn! It's an honor to stand before you." A guard said as he respectfully lowered his head to Khara.

Khara smiled as she looked at the man. "Morning, could you point us to the auction?" She asked with that charming voice of hers. The guard flashed them both a smile as he nodded and pointed in the direction of the auction. "Thank you."

Serana and Khara walked over to where a group of people where gathered. "The auction of Riftweald Manor is about to begin!" A man shouted out to the crowd. People quieted down and gathered around the man.

"There is a lot of people here." Serana pointed out as she scanned the area. "With deep pockets by the looks of it." She added when she saw how well dressed they were, no doubt this was people who had succeeded in life.

"Luckily, my pockets are deeper." Khara said as she offered Serana a small wink. "My titles should help too.

The man who seems to be in charge of the auction began to call out to the people for a starting price. "Ten-thousand do the lady on the right! Do I hear twelve?" He yelled as he looked around the crowd.

"Fifteen over here!" A man in a dark brown leather jacket yelled as he waved his hand.

"Fifteen to the man in brown!" The man yelled.

Khara smiled as she leaned closer to Serana. "Watch their faces now." She said with a smirk on her lips. She rose a hand and yelled. "Thirty-thousand!"

Serana watched as the man who was in charge looked like he had entered Sovngarde or something as the smile on his face was huge. The other people turned around and looked at Khara like she had just grown another head, they were shocked to say the least.

"Thirty-thousand to the lady in black!" The man roared. People whispered to each other, but none dares to outbid Khara. "Do I have any other offers?" He asked as he looked around. "Thirty-thousand going once." He yelled as his eyes scanned the faces of the other buyers. "Going twice!" He smiled as he locked eyes with Khara. "Sold for Thirty-thousand!" Some people congratulated the Dragonborn on her fine purchase while others simply left, disappointed that it wasn't them who had won the auction. Khara got handed the papers and was made the official owner of Riftweald Manor.

"I expected people to give more fight to be honest." Serana said as they walked back to the guild.

"They probably would have if they didn't know who I was." Khara said as she shrugged. "But still, they normally don't give up so easily. It a shame, I was going to show you what a real Riften auction looked like."

"You'll just have to show me next time then." Serana said with a smile.

Khara turned her head and looked at the woman next to her. "Aye, next time." She said as she smiled back.

* * *

Brynjolf was enjoying a mug of his favorite mead as he leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. Oh, how he enjoyed these moments. The bar was almost empty as most of the other members were out doing jobs and such, he had most of the place to himself. His thoughts drifted back to when he had first laid eyes on Khara in the market and it made him smile. Who would have thought that she of all people would end up as Guild Master? The things that woman had changed around her was beyond impressive. She had taken something broken and fixed it, improved it even.

He was pulled out of his little adventure down memory lane when he heard a pair of footsteps approaching. He sat up in his seat and looked to over where the person was coming from. One of his eyebrows rose as he scanned the woman walking towards him, he hadn't seen her face before and she wasn't wearing the guild's outfit. The woman locked eyes with him and offered him a kind smile. "May I help you?" He asked as he slowly brought one hand under the table, to his dagger, just in case this woman tried something.

Her eyes followed his hand before she locked eyes once more. "Yes, I wish to speak with the Guild Master." Her voice was smooth and strong, yet it felt like there was an act to the sound of her tone.

Brynjolf nodded as he looked around the bar before looking at the woman again. "Business or pleasure?" He asked with a small smirk

The woman tilted her head to the side before answering. "Unfortunately, business." She said back with a playful smile of her own. Brynjolf knew he was just being played, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it.

"Well, the Guild Master is out shopping." He said as he used a leg to move a for the woman to sit on. "But she'll be back soon so, why don't we discuss this business then?" The woman smiled and accepted his offer. "Do you know the Guild Master?"

The woman's smile changed for a second, but Brynjolf couldn't quite see it. "Oh yes, me and Khara go way back." Her tone was different now, like there was more behind those words. "We're old friends, she and I."

"Well then." He grabbed an extra mug and filled it up before handing it to his new drinking companion. "To old friends." He said as he rose his mug.

The woman smirked as she clicked their mugs of mead. "To old friends."

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Dragon aspect:** Ek rot los balaan **– Her words are worthless.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Hey folks, it been a while. First, I hope you all had a good Christmas and that your New Year's Eve will be even better.

Right then, some more stuff happened in this chapter compared to the last one I think. In the end there a new person sat down with Bryn, who could she be? I've been working on how to introduce her for a while now, and I finally feel like I have the perfect plan on how to do it along with getting her 'quest' into the story.

I also showed you guys Fultheim. He may not be all that known, but maybe I can add him again later in the story with his own little quest and all. Or maybe something about The Blades.

Also, poor Grelod *evil laugh* I wanted to show you that Khara isn't always so _honorable_ and law-abiding. Everyone has a darker nature to themselves and Khara is no exception, nor is Serana for that matter.

That's all I have to say for now, I'll see you all in the next one.

-Zep


	17. Chapter 17

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 17_

 _Thieves and_ _Assassins_

"So, in order to get the key, Rune had this brilliant idea to train a rat to steal it off one of the guards, he spent weeks training the little thing." Khara said as they walked down the corridor that would take them to the Ragged Flagon. "The guard that was watching over him had this huge key hanging from his belt, all of Rune's focus was on that and his little rat."

"Why didn't the other members just get him out?" Serana asked, she was enjoying the story so far.

"Oh, we wanted to teach him a lesson." Khara said with a smirk. "And it worked too, he hasn't tried to sleep in the Jarl's bed since then." Khara shook her head at the memory, it was amusing.

"Why would he even try that?" Serana aske with a laugh.

"He has a _really_ long and weird bucket list that man. I'm pretty sure it will be the end of him. But anyways, he actually managed to get the rat to steal the key in the end. The guard had left for the night and Rune made his move. As he reached for the lock to unlock the door, he accidently touched the cell door and it opened." Khara said as a small laugh managed to escape her.

Serana's eyes widened with amusement. "The door wasn't locked?" She asked, curiosity filled her orange eyes.

"It wasn't! When he entered the Flagon, oh I wish you could have seen his face, he was beyond pissed." Khara laughed out. "So many things flew across the bar that day, Vekel have only used wooden plates since."

Serana laughed with Khara. "How long was he in there?"

"About three _absolutely-fucking-horrible-bad service-weeks_ , was Rune's words." Khara said with a smile as she reached for the door. She let Serana enter fist before she followed, she took one last look behind them before she closed the door. Ever since she got stabbed there, she had paid more attention to the area. It never hurts to be a little careful.

"I'm still impressed that he managed to train a rat." Serana said with an amused look on her face.

"I know, I was…-" Khara let her words fade as she felt her feet not wanting to move further after they had carried her a few feet into the Flagon. She furrowed her brows as she felt an unpleasant feeling creep up her spine, she felt the hair on her neck rise along with her heartbeat as a scent got caught by her nose. She knew who it belonged to, she just wished she was wrong.

Serana noticed the change in her wolf's heartbeat and turned around to look at Khara. Her wolf was standing still, her brows pressed together as a scowl took place on her face. Serana's eyes widened as she saw Khara's eyes staring to glow.

Khara forced her head to scout the bar and she found who she was looking for. _Speaking of rats…_ The wolf within growled. Khara's eyes were locked on her target as her feet finally was her own to control again. She moved past Serana and entered the bar. Someone else was sitting on the table with _her,_ but Khara could only see a figure of the person as her full focus was on the woman sitting at the table. A hand moved to her belt as she got closer. _Let's not do something rash, goraan gein._ Her dragon warned, but the voice in her mind was faded and weak, she could not hear it clearly. Everything sounded like it was in different room, muffled by walls. There was only one sound the wolf could hear. Only one heartbeat.

The person who had awoken this rage within Khara met her gaze and of all the things she could dare do, she smiled at the wolf, she _fucking_ smiled. "I told you we would meet again, didn't I?" That voice, that smooth bloody voice. Her words worked like fuel to her fire, chaos raged within the wolf.

Khara walked closer and drew her dagger, but a strong arm stopped her. She grabbed ahold of it and moved her head to find its owner. Brynjolf was holding her back. "No bloodshed in the Flagon, Khara. Guild rules, _your_ rules." He remined her. He managed to move Khara back a few steps before he spoke again. "Now I don't know what history you have with Lyria, and honestly I don't care. You can do whatever to want to her _outside_ , but in here you follow the rules." _Lyria._ She was still using that name, that cover.

Khara's breathing was heavy at this point. She was holding back the storm that was currently within her. She was sure that one wrong word could send her into a frenzy state, completely driven by rage. The glow in her eyes only turned brighter as she moved them from Brynjolf and back to the reason for her anger. " _Fine_." She finally said after having a little stare down with the woman. Brynjolf kept his eyes on Khara's face, searching to see if she would keep her word. He carefully removed his hand and turned a little to look at Lyria, he then looked back at Khara. He had never seen her eyes like this before, they were on fire. "What are you doing here, Astrid?" Khara asked, her voice guarded and cold.

At this point, Serana had managed to move up to Khara and now stood at her side. Her orange eyes were also locked on the woman that was still sitting in her seat, looking awfully pleased with herself. Serana didn't need to ask, she knew who this woman was and what she had done. She could feel a fraction of the rage that was within her wolf, and it gave her everything she needed to hate the woman.

"Can't I visit an old friend?" Her voice was not helping the wolf fight the rage.

" _We're not friends._ " Khara growled. "Now talk before I lose my patience." She warned.

Astrid smiled. "In case you didn't hear, you can't lay a finger on me, dear. _Guild rules._ "

Khara took one threatening step closer to Astrid, her eyes turning even brighter before at the same time as a blue, weak aura snaked around her body. Astrid's eyes fell along with her smile. Her eyes moved to Khara's feet before looking to where the wolf's hand was. _Oh, keep looking, I might just show you my dagger_. Khara thought to herself. Her move had the desired effect on Astrid, for the shortest of moments, Khara could hear the assassin's heartbeat increase.

Astrid inhaled before getting her act together. "I have a job for y-"

"We're not interested." Khara was quick to interrupt her.

Astrid only rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat. "Brynjolf…"

He sighed. He hated drama, but more importantly, he hated drama that involved women. _What kind of drama doesn't involve women?_ He said in his mind, not daring to speak the words out loud. "Right." He looked at Khara and locked with her eyes. "Now, I want you to listen. And keep quiet until I'm done speaking." He looked down at the table, down to where the was a few papers. "She has a job for us, a _huge_ job, right? And the pay is ridiculous." He said carefully as he claimed Khara's eyes once more. "But all of that isn't really important to you, I know that. However, the situation is very complicated. And if we don't help her and her folk, shit is going to happen, Khara, to a _lot_ of people will get hurt."

Khara furrowed her brows. She moved her eyes to Astrid. "What is he talking about?" She asked, her voice still the same as before.

"You may want to sit." Astrid said, it was not what Khara was asking for. The wolf didn't move. "Suit yourself." Astrid said with a sigh as she moved some papers closer to Khara. The wolf's eyes fell to the papers, but only for a second before moving back up again. "In about a month, maybe more maybe less, Emperor Titus Mede II will arrive at the docks of Solitude. From there he will go to his temporarily home, the Emperor's tower in Castle Dour." Astrid paused as she looked at Khara. _Still listening, good_. "While he is there, a high ranking Thalmor member will visit him and accept his offer."

"What offer?" Khara asked with narrowed eyes.

Brynjolf picked up a paper and showed it to Khara. "To hand Skyrim over to the Aldmeri Dominion."

Khara's eyes widened as she grabbed the paper, her eyes scanned the page, she followed every line carefully. Her eyes went back to Astrid as she shook her head. "You're lying." She said as she rose her hand with the paper. "This is false, whatever twisted game you're playing at here, I will have no part in it, nor will my Guild."

Brynjolf's eyes widened. " _Woah_ , now lass, there's no need for rash decisions." He tried to calm Khara down. "I'm sure we can come down to some kind of agreement here." He said as he looked at the other women in the room.

"I'm telling the truth here, Khara." Astrid said from her seat.

"Pardon me for not trusting them, you're a damn assassin, Astrid. You kill for your own enjoyment. How is this-" Khara gestured to the papers. "Supposed to just make me trust you all of a sudden."

"This information was handed to me personally by a member of the Elder Council, an honest man and respected friend of mine."

"And where is he now?"

"At my home."

There was silence after that, no words were passed between them. _She is lying, she has to be._ Khara said in her mind, hoping that Serana and her aspects could help her make a decision here. _Is this something we want to ignore?_ The dragon asked out loud. _It's a trap_. The wolf aspect growled. _We are not certain of that, yet._ The dragon answered.

Serana heard the question and gave it her honest opinion. _I don't trust her_. She began. _But these papers, these documents seem like the real deal to me. If this is a trick, then she has put a lot of time and effort into it._

 _This woman will go to the extreme to get what she wants._ Khara said back.

 _Then will she stop asking you for help? She said that the person that gave her this information is at her home. That can't be too far away, perhaps we can meet him?_

 _And what then? I don't trust the words of any of her friends._

 _What if I speak with him?_

Khara rose an eyebrow and turned to look as Serana. _Vampire's seduction?_

 _Yes_. Serana said before looking at Astrid. _She has a strong mind, I can sense it, but perhaps her friend is weaker._

Khara's eyes fell to the ground. _I doubt she will let him out of their little cave or whatever this 'home' is._

 _It's worth a try._

Astrid and Brynjolf shared a look while Serana and Khara was having a silent conversation. Brynjolf only shrugged his shoulders at the woman, he had no idea of what was happening.

"We will speak with him, your friend in the Council."

"I am not bringing him out. The Thalmor are looking for him, they will attack first and ask questions later."

"Oh, will they now? That sound very familiar." Khara spat. _You didn't give that father and his child a chance to talk._ "We will speak with him, now I don't care where we have to go, but if you want my help, _our_ help, then I will have a chat with this man."

"We? Even if I were to bring you to him do you think I would be foolish enough to let you have your fetching companions to come with you?" Astrid let out a sarcastic laugh as she tilted her head to the side moved her eyes down to Khara's covered neck. "I swear I only scratched your throat when I shot that arrow, did I hit something important or are you really that foolish? I will not, under any circumstances risk the lives of my family just to sate your curiosity. Do you honestly expect me to do that?" Astrid said angrily.

"No, but I expect you to see this from my point." Khara said as she sighed. "You know I don't trust you, you also know that I have a really damn good reason not to. And yet here you come, showing of some papers and expecting me to follow you blindly?" Khara saw that her words were considered by Astrid so, she continued. "If you want me to help you, it will be on my terms. I will meet this man and have a chat with him, _alone_ with my companion."

"Khara, there is no-"

Khara placed both hands on the table and leaned closer. "You have my word that no harm will fall upon him nor your family as long as there is no need to." Khara said with honest eyes. "You know that when I make a promise, I keep it. If I didn't-" She moved back and crossed her hands over her chest. "We wouldn't be having this conversation." Astrid knew that Khara spoke the truth, about both the worth of her words and the killing part.

 _You're sure that you can make him speak the truth?_ Khara asked Serana.

 _Positive._

 _And are you sure about this?_ Khara held Astrid's eyes she had her own conversation going on with Serana.

 _Yes, I'm with you, Khara. I don't know much about the Dominion, but I know enough to see that if Skyrim were to be ruled by them a lot of people would lose their lives and even more would suffer._ Serana looked at Khara, hoping that her words helped the wolf have a little more faith in this plan, whatever the plan was.

"You give me your word, you shake my hand, and you keep your promise till the very end." Astrid suddenly said as she reached out her hand for Khara to shake.

Khara inhaled deeply as she slowly reached out to take the offered hand, but Astrid suddenly pulled back a little. "You will also _not_ kill me." She said with a stern voice and look.

Khara released a low growl. " _You have my word_." Astrid reached out again and shit time their shook hands. "I, and my friends, will not hurt your friend or you family and I will not kill you, I promise." Their hands moved for only a moment after the words had been said before they released the hold of the other's hand.

"Okey, now that's out of the w-." Khara's fist connected with Astrid's face, the amount of strength that went into that punch made Khara feel a little sorry for Astrid, but only a little and it passed after a second. Astrid's hand hovered over her nose, by the sound, Khara would guess that it was now broken. "Oh, in the name of Sithis!" Astrid hissed.

"I agreed not to kill you, I didn't say a _damn_ thing about not hurting you." And with that, Khara left the room with Serana. Brynjolf offered Astrid a healing potion as he knew nothing about healing magic. He has to admit though, that was one good punch.

"Much appreciated." Astrid said as she accepted the potion.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Brynjolf waved it off before speaking again. "To be honest, that went better than I expect. I've never seen her so pissed off before and believe me when I say that I have seen her absolutely _pissed off._ I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now." He said as he sat down.

"Not even I want to be in my shoes right now." Astrid said back. "But a contract like _this_ , my family could use it." Astrid said as her eyes scanned the papers that were now spread all around on the table. She opened the healing potion and drank it. "And besides, we've already accepted it. There is no going back now." She placed a hand under her chin and let the healing potion take effect.

"So, the plans have already been made?" Brynjolf asked as he looked at her.

"Some parts, yes. My fellow assassins are working on it as we speak, however I have a feeling that Khara will not be too pleased of all the things that needs to be done in order to get to our goal."

" _If_ she accepts, remember she only agreed to speak with the man." He reminded her. "So, don't get your hopes up."

"She will accept, I know Khara and I know her heart. If there are people in trouble she will do the right thing." Astrid said a she felt her nose improve over time.

Brynjolf nodded as he leaned back in his seat. "I have to ask, what did you do to her in order to make her hate you this much?"

Astrid furrowed her brows for a moment before answering. "That's her story to tell."

* * *

 _We should have ripped out her spine, removed her skin, thrown her into salt, heal her and then repeat it!_ Khara's wolf aspect was furious and saying exactly what it wanted to say. "You have to see the bigger picture here." She answered, tired and irritated. Her aspects left her to be as they were all not able to think clearly for the moment. The wolf closed her eyes as she stood in the middle of her room.

She wanted to punch her again, and again and again until there was nothing left to punch. She wanted to release her anger, needed to bring it out as it was starting to burn in her chest. _I need to…_ Cool hands cupped her cheeks and Khara opened her eyes. Her eyes were still burning brightly.

Serana connected their eyes and moved closer to Khara. " _Breathe_." She whispered as she brought their forehead together. " _Just breathe, Khara_." Calmness entered her as her eyes connected to orange orbs. The glow faded as inhaled and exhaled, repeatedly until it was gone.

"I lost it." Her voice was small, she was ashamed.

"That is not your fault, Khara. You haven't been a vampire for long and your emotions and feelings are unstable. It will pass, I promise you it will pass." Serana said as she looked deeply into her wolf's eyes.

Khara nodded before she spoke gain. "I'm sorry for acting so cold."

"Again, not your fault. I felt only a piece of your emotions, but I say that she has earned that. Even I wanted to punch her." Serana said with a small smile.

Khara released a small laugh at that. "It felt good."

"I bet it did." Serana said with an even bigger smile this time, eyes still locked with Khara's. "So, we're really doing this?"

"We're really doing this." Khara said as she gave a small nod. "Can we just…Lay down for a moment?" She asked.

"Of course." Serana said with a warm smile. She pulled Khara with her and they both laid down on the bed. Khara was pulled into Serana's embrace and the wolf closer her eyes. At times, she didn't know what she would do without the woman.

"I just hope that this man, however he might be, is wrong." Khara whispered after a little while. "I mean, if he isn't, then I think I already know why Astrid came here seeking help." Her thought was already preparing herself on all the things that can go wrong. She played scenarios in her head of what she would possible be needed to do it this is all a trap to kill herself or Serana, or maybe one of the other members of the guild. Maybe there wasn't even a physical target, maybe Astrid's organization wanted to get rid of the Thieves Guild? Or maybe they wanted our riches, or the associates of the guild? The wolf wondered on how they even fought, she had seen Astrid fight before, but for all she knew, Astrid could have a completely different fight style than of the one she had seen her use when she was pretending to be Lyria. Would they be like the stereotypical assassin and run around with daggers and poison? Do they know magic, and if so, on what level are their spells and within which school of magic? In other words, she played a _lot_ of different scenarios in her mind.

The wolf could feel Serana nod against her before turning towards her. "What ever happens, we'll be ready. And whatever needs to be done, will be done." Serana whispered back. "And besides, you and I make on damn good team so, no matter what, we'll deal with it." Her words of reassurance reached to Khara and the wolf couldn't help but smile. It washed over her like a calming wave knowing that no matter what will happened, she won't face it alone.

* * *

During the whole horse ride to Astrid's base of operations, Khara kept her eyes glued on the woman's back as she kept her blade and dagger close at all times. There was no way in oblivion that she would let her guard down around Astrid ever again.

Along with her was Serana, Delvin, Rune and Sapphire. Except from Brynjolf, these members were the ones she knew she could trust completely. They were loyal and Khara was certain that if she were to jump into an endless pit of doom filled with the most evil Daedra, they would follow without thinking twice.

"So then, how many people do you have in your outfit?" Delvin asked Astrid as they rode side by side. The question made Khara smile, she knew his game. Get information, decipher it and report it back to her, it was Delvin after all.

Astrid turned her head to look at the man before quickly turning her head back to the road ahead. _I believe that I could give them some information_. "With me included, we're thirteen."

Delvin shrugged and nodded. "Not a bad number, I take it being assassins and all, you don't want to have too people many around, tends to get hectic that way."

"It sure does." Khara's eats tuned out of that conversation at that, if Delvin managed to get more information out of Astrid, he would surely inform Khara about it later. She heard Rune and Sapphire chat with each other about a job they did not long ago, and she smiled at how they talked. She was surprised that they were just friends to be honest as she swore that they both enjoyed the others company a little more than friends normally do, but Khara didn't judge. They were great people and even better friends. She moved her head to the side and looked at Serana, they were riding in the back of their little group.

Serana was reading a book about illusion magic, it was the very same book that Khara had read a few weeks prior to when she had met Serana. It was a good book for people who had a good understanding of magic and also didn't know all too much about the illusion school. She saw that Serana rose a hand in front of herself and summoned a spell. Khara watched as Serana summoned a Courage spell, by the look of the glow and the color of the magic in her hand, the wolf could tell that Serana had done it correctly.

"Not bad." Khara said as she smiled at the ball of green light in the pale hand.

Serana looked to her side and lost focus on her spell, making it disappear. "It's only a novice level spell." Serana said amused. She had only managed to cast one of the most common and easiest spells of the school.

" _Correction_ , you just casted an illusion spell successfully for the first time with only a book as guidance." Khara answered, as the Archmage of the Collage, she had seen many people fail with such spells. "You're a natural." Their eyes met, and a smile was shared.

"Sweet talker." Serana whispered to her wolf with a smile playing on her lips.

Khara only winked as they fell into a comfortable silence. She was grateful for this, grateful that Serana could so easily keep her mind busy. She told herself to make sure she shows Serana just how grateful she truly was the next time they had the luxury of privacy. But till then, small smiles and hidden, loving looks were the only thing she could offer. She didn't want Astrid or any of her associates to know her true relationship with Serana. She knew that if this was all a trap and if Astrid knew about it, Serana would be her first target.

They were just leaving the Rift and entering Falkreath Hold. They passed through the ruins of Helgen and Khara was pleased to see that no bandits were occupying the place this time. As they were about to leave, Khara's eyes found the remains of the previous bandits that she and Serana took care of. Bones was the only thing left, that and some rusted weapons and armor. Her eyes also saw the black marks around one of the bone piles, burning marks. _You need to keep your mind calm and your feelings in place, goraan gein. I cannot control the fire if you do not wish it._ Her dragon aspect whispered. _I know, I'll do my best_. The dragon hummed, pleased with the answer. _That is all I ask of you_.

They rode all day and all night, the ones that needed it drank a few stamina potions to keep themselves fully awake during the ride. It wasn't much further now, as Astrid had told them. Soon they would get to the bottom of this and find the truth. Astrid led them down a small hill, down from the road. The vegetation was getting thicker now, and trees and other plants were all around them. It was colder down here and there was a thin layer of a mist that covered the ground. _I guess we're here_.

Astrid stopped her horse and jumped of it in one quick motion. "We're here."

Khara jumped of her horse and summoned a detect dead spell in one hand and detect life in the other. It was safe to say that she was a little confused when she could only see the light illuminating of the people in her group and a few rabbits instead of showing the light of twelve in the direction of where Astrid was heading.

Astrid knew what the dragonborn was doing and decided to speak before Khara fought that this was a dead end, _literally_. "There lies a magical barrier around the sanctuary, which is why your detection spells won't show the people inside." Astrid spoke as she led the group down to the Black Door. "But don't worry, once we're inside that." She leaned close to the door and place a single hand on is as she closed her eyes.

" _What is the music of life?_ " A hushed voice whispered, it gave all but one a chill that crept up their spine.

"Oh, _what the fuck_?" Rune shrieked as he took a step closer to Sapphire.

" _You are not worthy."_ The voice whispered back in that same, skin crawling voice.

Rune rose his eyebrows. "Oi! Who is behind this bloody door, I'll show ya-."

"Quiet, Rune." Delvin scolded his fellow thief. Khara placed a hand on her forehead she shook her head. _Such professionals._

Astrid turned around with a raised eyebrow and looked at Khara, _Ready?_ Her silent question was answered by a firm nod from the wolf. Astrid turned back to the door and whispered in her true voice. "Silence, my brother."

" _Welcome home_." The way the hushed voice dragged out the last word made Rune gulp loudly. They entered the door and walked down some stairs before entering a room. As they walked, Khara made sure to cast her spells again. She was both surprised and pleased when she could see twelve red lights spread out around in front of them.

Sapphire looked at her slightly spooked companion as they walked and placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke. "Don't worry, Rune. I'll make sure they don't hurt you."

"Oh, _sarcasm_ now? Didn't know you had it in you, Sapp. I'm proud, really." Rune said as he rolled his eyes. Khara would have told them to shut it, but when she turned to look at them she was given a smirk from Sapphire and a wink from Rune, she kept her silence. They were only acting to seem busy and distracted. She shook her head amused and smiled to herself, just like Rune, she too was proud.

When they entered the room, a man, a Redguard greeted Astrid. He was dressed in a typical Redguard outfit, and it suited him. "I see that your hunt went well, Sister." His voice was deep and raspy and that too suited him quite well. The man turned to the rest of the group and he smiled. Not the kind of smile that told you, _relax, you're among friends_ , but rather the kind of smile that said, _you're in for a treat_. "I salute you all, welcome to our humble home." He said with a small, yet respectful bow.

Delvin took a step closer to the man and shook his hand. "Delvin Mallory." He introduced himself to the Redguard.

"Nazir." The man answered.

"Now then, shall we get down to business?" He asked both Nazir and Astrid.

Astrid nodded as Nazir smiled. "Now we're talking, please, follow me." He gestured for the group to follow him and Astrid down some more stairs and into a new, bigger room. It was like a cave, but it was decorated, and it even had a little waterfall in it. There were pillars supporting the cave roof and if Khara had to guess, it would be that this place was built on and old nordic ruin. The art and shapes of the carved stone around them hinted at it. In the room was also four people, Argonians actually.

Delvin chatted with Nazir while Astrid walked over to the group of Argonians and greeted them. She nodded to Khara and her group and smiled at her fellow assassins before walking back to Nazir. She was about to speak, but was interrupted when a man in a jester outfit poked his head out from behind one of the open doors, just up some stairs next to where the argonians were standing.

"Oh, _happy_ days!" He yelled as he jumped out of the doorway and headed to walk down the stairs. His voice was so high pitched that Serana pitied Khara for her sensitive hearing.

Astrid sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Sithis, help me." She whispered to herself, but both Khara and Serana could hear it. Astrid turned around to look at the man who stumbled down the stairs.

"Guests, guests!" He laughed as he clapped his hands. He jumped down the last step and ran over to the argonians where he stood behind one and looked over at Khara and the rest. He moved both hands to hold the argonian's head and pointet it towards the new people in the room. "Look, Veezara! We have _people_ here! Alive, walking, talking people!"

The argonian, _Veezara is his name_ , removed the jester's hands from his head and crossed his arms as he turned to look at the energized man. "I can see that, Brother. Why don't you greet them?" His voice was to expected from an argonian, yet is was a few tones darker than most. Khara noticed that his voice was calm, as was his and his fellow argonian's heartbeats. If they were planning on doing something, then they were oddly calm about it.

"Yes, _yes!_ An excellent idea indeed!" The man cheered as he skipped over to them. Khara swore that as he moved he was singing in a low voice. " _Madness is merry, and merriment's might, when the jester comes calling with his knife in the night!_ " When he had arrived at his destination his were so wide that Khara thought that they might just fall out. "Welcome, welcome, _welcomewelcomewelcome_!" He shirked. Suddenly he stood straight, his face turns somewhat normal and his voice changed as he cleared his throat.

Serana shared a look with Delvin, they both found this man rather interesting, and _very_ unpredictable.

"I am the Keeper." He said with a deep voice. "And thy name is Cicero." He then removed the jester hat that he wore and took a long bow, in fact, he didn't move once his back was bent. He laughed before turning around and sprinting up the stairs and out of view.

Astrid and Nazir shared a look before they brushed it off. "He his… _Unique_." Nazir said after a moment. He received a few nods from the others before Astrid spoke.

"If you want to get started, he is in that room." Astrid pointet to a closed door to their right. "Follow me."

Khara nodded and followed. She ordered Rune and Delvin to stand guard outside the door once they were inside. She spotted a man and waited for Astrid to explain the situation to him. And after she did, the man's eyes widened.

He looked past Astrid and scanned the three other women in the room, all of whom was watching him. "I am sure that I can offer some clarity on this rather, _delicate_ job." He finally said.

"Good, we're right outside if you need us." Astrid assured him before sending Khara a warning glare and leaving the four of them alone.

He clasped his hands together and offered them a tightlipped smile. "How can I help you ladies?" He said.

Serana looked over to Khara and when Khara gave her a nod, she knew what she had to do. She summoned her spell and threw it on the man. His eyes widened before he closed them. "Open your eyes." Serana commanded, and the man did as she told him. "Come over here, sit down." The man sat down by the table and Serana, Khara and Sapphire sat down as well.

Khara turned her head to Sapphire and spoked. "Sapp, the papers?" She asked.

"Yeah." Sapphire opened her bag and gave her Guild Master the documents. "Here."

"Thanks." Khara took out a few of them and placed it in front of the man. She then looked at Serana with a smile. "Do your thing."

Serana turned her head and looked at the man. "Are these from you?" She said as she landed closer and put her index finger on one of the papers.

"Yes." The man said calmly.

"You're a member of the Elder Council?" She now asked.

"Yes." He said once more.

"And all of this-" She gestured to all of the documents. "Is true?"

"Yes."

"Explain."

"I am a member of the Elder Council, I worked very closely with the Emperor himself. In fact, I dare say that I was the person he trusted the most, hence why I have these documents." The man looked down at the papers and spoke again. "When I learned about what he was planning on doing, I got what I needed and came directly here. I have known Astrid and her little family of assassins for years now. We have worked together a few times in the past to make sure that the balance of power is as it should be. Anyways, I was the only member of the Council that knew about this. And fearing that my fellow members wouldn't understand or believe me, I fled, no one else knows and no one else _can_ know about this." He said as he looked up and at the others in the room. "If words got out that the Emperor was betraying the Empire, well, chaos would rise as fast as the Empire would fall."

"So, all of this is true then, he is going to give Skyrim up to the Dominion?" Serana asked after she shared a quick look with Khara.

"He is, which is why we need to make sure that he doesn't do it. So, what say you? Will you assist us?" He asked Khara.

 _Will you assist us?_ His words echoed in her mind. Would she? Would she aid in killing the most important man in the Empire in order to help the Empire itself? Because let's face it, if the Dark Brotherhood is involved, the target never gets to walk away, _never_. And just about how many people would need to fall before the Emperor would?

She knew what would happen if the deal was made. Skyrim would rebel against in's new enemies, people all over Tamriel would. The Empire would crumble until all that was left of if could easily be swept off the map by the Dominion. The man was right, if words were even to get out about his, it would spread like wildfire.

Khara turned her head to Sapphire. "Get the boys in here and tell Astrid to gather her family and get in here too." Khara said and Sapphire gave her a quick nod.

"Yes, boss." She walked out the door and did as she was told.

Khara rose from her seat and placed both hands on the table. "If we're going to do this, we'll need to know who we're working with."

"Excellent!" The man cheered from his seat. "Allow me to be the first, I am Amaund Motierre." Khara accepted his hand as did Serana, they traded names and waited for the others to join them. Luckily the table they were sitting at was big enough to for all of them.

Khara and Serana watched as Rune, Delvin and Sapphire walked in and walked over to them. Delvin and Sapphire sat down while Rune leaned back to the stone wall close to Khara. He gave Khara a nod before Astrid walked in with her fellow members.

Khara sat in her seat at the end of the table with one arm resting on the table while she used the other to support her head. Her eyes scanned the people as they walked though the doorway. Nazir sat down next to Astrid as that another man. He was a Nord, but there was more to him than what met the eye. Khara inhaled, she knew what he was only a moment later. _Watch out for the Nord with the white, long hair_. _He's a werewolf._ Serana nodded to Khara as she heard the words in her mind.

They saw an old man walking in with two Dunmer women right behind him, by the look of their armor and lack of daggers, both Khara and Serana knew that they preferred to use magic. After that a child entered the room with an Imperial man by her side. After that came the argonians with the jester, Cicero. They all sat down and after a few second of an unsettling silence, the child was the first to speak.

"You didn't say that they were vampires, Astrid." The young girl said.

"They? Babette?" Astrid said back.

The child, Barbette smiled and looked at Khara. "Your eyes are different than most of our kind, how it that?" _Our kind?_ Khara furrowed her brows before looking into the child's eyes. _Oh._

"She's not a vampire, she's a werewolf, you fool." The Nord Spoke his seat.

Babette looked at Khara still. "What are you?" Her voice was filled with curiosity of that of a child, yet her eyes looked like they had decades behind them.

"Both." Khara answered Babette.

The undead child tilted her head to the side and asked. "You're a hybrid?"

"That's impossible, there are no hybrids." The Nord man said again.

"There are now." Khara said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Shall we get down to business? Or do you all want to continue to discuss what's impossible? For if so, then how about you all tell me on how we're going to assassinate the bloody Emperor?" Khara said with a sigh, she could already tell that this would take a few hours at least.

"Yes, please, let's." The old man in the mage robes said. "Astrid?" He gestured for her to speak.

Astrid nodded and spoke. "As you said, he will need to die. But in order to get to that point, we need to clear a path." Astrid looked at her fellow members as she spoke. "We will need to weaken their security, learn of their routines and acquire a detailed map of the Emperor's Tower." Astrid looked over to the new faces around her table. "There are many stages to this plan and I will explain them as we get to them." Astrid offered and Khara agreed. "You all know what you have to do, I only want those who will play part in stage one to stay." She ordered her fellow members. They nodded and most of them left.

"What do we need?" Delvin asked when some of the others closed the door.

"A man." Nazir said from where he sat. "The Emperor is guarded by the Penitus Oculatus, the very best soldiers that the empire have to offer. There isn't a place on this world where they won't follow the Emperor. Their commander lives in Skyrim."

"Does this commander have a name?" Sapphire asked as she looked over at the Redguard.

"Maro. However, due to the Emperor's arrival, he has gone into hiding until his job is done, for both security measures and due to the amount of work the man has in front of him." Astrid said as she looked at some papers.

"So, we don't know where he is?" Sapphire asked as she shared a look with Khara.

"No, we don't, but that won't be a problem. We know the location of where his son, Gaius Maro, is stationed." Nazir said as he rose from his seat and walked over to Delvin to give them a letter with the location and other useful information.

Delvin nodded his head as his eyes scanned the paper. "This is nice and all, but what's the plan?"

"Commander Maro won't leave his position, where ever it might be, under no circumstances." A woman spoke, a Dunmer. "Expect for the funeral of his only child."

At those words, Khara's eyes locked with Astrid's. "It's all we got, his wife is already dead. Same goes for the rest of his family."

"But his only son, Astrid? Must the boy die? Can't we just enthrall him or throw a controlling spell and make him convince his father to meet him?" Khara asked, she hoped that there was another way.

"Maro won't come out of hiding unless it is something extremely important, the kid needs to go. And we need the Commander to be distracted before and during the Emperors visit." Nazir said as he looked at Astrid.

"We're not killing him?" Rune asked.

"We need him alive, if Maro was to die then security would be heightened to the point where we wouldn't be able to complete the contract. With him mourning the loss of his son, the security will be greatly weakened. He is the one that we will want to mind control. We'll get the needed information about how the Penitus Oculatus operates and how many guards will be on duty when we need to strike. We'll make him forget about us, but not about his son." Astrid said from where she sat.

Khara was not all too happy about the plan so far. "How do we kill his son? If it looks like a murder, then Maro might get suspicious and won't risk showing up at the funeral."

"Which is why Gabrielle is here." Astrid said as she nodded to the Dunmer.

Gabrielle stood up and walked over to where Khara sat and pulled out a flask of one of the many pouches that was tied to her belt. "This potion will do the trick. Get this in the boy and it will look like he overdosed." Gabriella said as she handed Khara a small bag.

Khara took the bag and looked in it. "Empty skooma bottles." She said out loud so that the others could hear it.

"If Maro believes that his son was a skooma addict then he will keep the death hidden from those who can relieve him of his duty." Gabriella said as she walked back to her seat.

Rune huffed. "Clever."

"We thought so too." Nazir said amused.

"But why do you need us to this? It doesn't sound too difficult." Khara asked, these guys were master assassins after all.

"We simply got our hands full at the moment. We still have other contracts that needs to be fulfilled and besides, the Penitus Oculatus train their soldiers extremely well and they have the numbers. As skillful as we are in what we do, even we have our limits. You on the other hand-" He nodded to Khara and met her eyes. "Are very talented in the arts of combat, we've done the numbers, and you have the best outcome out of all of us."

"Some of the other members will also work on this, so don't be too surprised if you meet them from time to time." Gabriella added.

"There is another thing that needs to be covered." Serana finally spoke. "While we're out on these _missions_ of yours, we can't remain hidden at all times, people will see us, _see_ Khara."

"That's right, our boss here is quite known throughout Skyrim, what will happen when people hear that their hero is out killing the good guys?" Delvin said as he saw Serana's point.

"We have already thought about that." Nazir said with a smirk. "Obviously you can't go around with your dragons and use you dragon magic while doing this, which is why you will need to change you fighting style for a little while, just don't use shouts."

"We have armor prepare for you, heavy, medium and light, whatever you prefer really." Gabriella said.

"Dark Brotherhood armor?" Rune asked. "Isn't that like a death sentence to wear?"

"Oh, it is." Nazir said proudly. "Which is why there are no marks that will show people that we were the ones that sent you. It's black for stealth purposes, but that's all. The other members will also be disguised as sell swords and merchants."

"Okey, so-" Khara looked at the paper she was given by Delvin. "We need to go to Dragon Bridge, poison Gaius, stage the death, leave undetected and wait for the funeral, do we even know where it will be held?"

"That we do." Nazir said. "Commander Maro is an imperial and have no desire to let his son's body rot away in a crypt. He will burn his son's corpse on a boat. He will use the dock at Brinewater Grotto, west of the Solitude Lighthouse. It's isolated and rarely traveled to. You just make sure that the boy dies like he is supposed to die, and we'll do the rest to get Maro to those docks."

"And who would accompany me on this?" Khara asked. She knew that she couldn't take more than one person with her, it would too risky. She also wanted to let someone she trusted to stay here and learn more.

"I will be your partner in crime on this one." The only argonian in the room spoke. "Everything is ready, so get suited up and I'll meet you in the room by the entrance." He said with a nod before he left them.

Khara moved her eyes to Astrid. Both Nazir and Gabrielle saw that look. "I can assure you that your friends will be safe here." Gabriella said to Khara. Khara looked at the dark elf before turning her head to look at her friends and at Serana.

"Most of them are out, and I'm sure they would agree to let us keep this room till you return." Delvin said as he turned to look at Nazir.

"Absolutely, room's yours." The Redguard said with a few nods.

"Alright, may I have the room for a moment?" Khara asked the others. _Stay?_ She asked Serana.

 _Of course_. Was the other woman's answer.

"Sure, your armor is in the shelves over there." Nazir pointed to behind him.

Khara nodded and game the man a small smile. "Got it."

People left until there was only Khara and Serana left in the room. Khara walked over to where the armor was and decided that medium armor would work best with her. "I want you here." Khara said as she got out of her armor and into the new one. "We need to learn their plans and I still have a strange feeling about all this. You are the only one I trust to be strong enough to keep my guys safe if they need protection." The wolf said as she looked in to orange eyes. She didn't like it one bit, but it was the safest thing she could do.

"I'll stay, I was going to offer it anyways." Serana said with a smile. "Great minds, you know."

Khara smiled back. "Yeah, great minds."

"I know that you can handle yourself, but still, be _careful,_ Khara." Serana's voice was low as she moved closer to her wolf.

"I will, I promise. You won't get rid of me anytime soon." Khara whispered. Serana moved and captured her wolf's warm lips in a delicate kiss. It made Khara relax even more to feel cool lips against her own. That wonderful feeling that she had learned to love entered her chest as their lips moved against each other. It only lasted a moment before Serana pulled back.

"Good." Serana wrapped her arms around the wolf and placed her head in the crook of her neck. Khara returned the hug and both closed their eyes.

"I'll keep my promise." Khara whispered into black hair.

"I know."

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Holy cow shit that was fun to write. I didn't expect to be able to write a whole chapter so fast, so I guess I have to wish you guys to have a happy New Year's Eve again, haha.

I was really enjoying writing this, I'm so excited for this whole questline and where our characters will be in the end. I have added some custom characters to the Brotherhood and I'll introduce you to them all over the next chapters, I promise, they all have a role to play in this. I can say that there are five custom characters thought.

Also, Serana will stay behind while Khara goes on her mission. That will be interesting to write I think and I hope that it will also be entertaining for you guys to read. I am sorry for the spelling mistakes and so on.

That's all I got for now, see you all in the next one!

-Zep


	18. Chapter 18

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 18_

 _A Necessary Evil_

"You are ready to head out?" The argonian asked when he saw Khara approach him in her new, dark leather armor. He had to admit, Arnbjorn was a fine smith.

"Yes, I am." Khara said as she positioned her dagger to her belt.

The argonian smiled as he rose a hand for Khara to shake and the wolf accepted it. "I am Veezara, I lead the Shadowscales of this sanctuary."

Khara gave him a little smile back before they started to walk up the stairs. "I'm afraid I don't know what a Shadowscale are, Veezara." She really didn't know much about the Brotherhood at all. Their ranks and rules were unknown to her.

"Then allow me to teach you. A Shadowscale are an argonian born under the sign of Shadow, they are special. Just like me and my fellow Shadowscales, we were taken at birth and trained as assassins. We follow the path that our Dread-Father shows us and serve him." Veezara explained as he and Khara exited the sanctuary.

Khara only nodded as they got on their horses. The ride to Dragon Bridge was long and was going to be tiring for the both of them. Luckily for Khara though, Veezara didn't seem like the worst company she could have had. But then again, he didn't seem like the best either, Khara had left that person back at the sanctuary. "We'll take a break at Rorikstead I assume?"

"Correct, that would be best. It is on the same road too, so it really isn't in the way." Both of them scanned the area around them as they rode to their destination. "I have questions." He finally said after a little while. He kept his head straight as he guided the horse along the stone-covered path

"As do I." She too was looking straight ahead. She didn't know what to think of the argonian just yet. Hopefully his company wouldn't prove to be horrible.

"We will trade? My answers for yours?" He asked again, and he turned to look at Khara this time.

"Sounds fair." Khara answered with a nod, it was a fair trade after all.

"Ladies first." He said as he gestured with his hand for Khara to ask away.

"Alright." _Where do we start?_ Khara wondered. _Learn about the members._ Her dragon aspect offered. "Your fellow brothers and sisters, tell me about them."

Veezara smiled as he turned his head back to the road. "Good choice. Well, Astrid is the sanctuary's leader-"

"You mean the leader of the Brotherhood?" Khara interrupted him.

"No, I do mean the sanctuary. We take our orders from Sithis. He doesn't not talk directly to us, but he communicates with our Night Mother." He explained.

"And she gives you the orders?" Khara asked.

"No, she too is very _selective_ in who is allowed to hear her voice. My fellow Shadowscale, Vah'Sur, have that honor. He is the Listener. He is the one with the dark blue scales where my other brother, Droka'Ru are the ones with the dark brow ones. Then there is our sister, Ivara." Veezara explained.

"Arnbjorn, the nord that was sitting next to Astrid, is married to her and have no title but Brother." Khara was a little surprised at this, someone would marry Astrid? _Willingly_? She shook her head clear before her thoughts transformed into words.

"He is a werewolf." Khara wasn't asking, she could smell him before she even laid here eyes on the man.

"Yes, he has the beast blood in him. He has a temper, but Astrid keeps him on a short leash." Veezara laughed at his own words and Khara couldn't help but join in at his well-chosen words. "Gabriella and Barbette is the ones that makes our potions and poisons. The other Dunmer you saw was S'aura, she is a student of Gabriella. Nazir deals with the papers and such, like the contracts for example. The man that shadowed Barbette is Eryan, he and Barbette go way back. She was actually the one that turned him." Khara was hadn't even noticed that the man was a vampire, she was too focused on her own gang and their safety while the members of the Brotherhood entered the room.

"You're not bothered by vampires then?" She was pretty positive of the answer, but it never hurt to hear it.

"Nonsense, I couldn't care less of what people are. As long as the rules are followed, I don't have a problem with the others. It is as we say, they are our family and we are theirs. Anyways, the old man is Festus Krex. He is the one with the talent for magic. The other girls have talent too, don't get me wrong, but they don't compare to him." Veezara said be fore quickly adding. "But don't let him know I said that, I would never head the end of it." Once more ha had managed to get Khara to smile. "Last person on the list is Cicero, he is the Keeper, he tends to the Night Mother."

"He is…" The wolf looked for the right words to describe the man. "Interesting." Khara settled on saying that, she didn't want to offend Veezara, not after he was acting polite towards her. Her anger was with Astrid, not with him.

"You are allowed to say mad." Veezara said amused.

"He seems absolutely bat-shit crazy." Khara said extremely fast without a second thought.

"Ha! And you've only heard him for less than a few minutes." Veezara said as their eyes met for a moment. "Imagine living under the same roof."

"Should I be worried that there is a madman in a jester outfit back with my group?" Khara asked, the smile on her lips could easily be heard through her voice.

"No, he might be mad, but he does follow the rules and do as he is told. That is my family, now it is my turn to ask the question. _Your_ fellow brothers and sisters, tell me about them. The ones that are in my sanctuary." The argonian said with a proud voice.

Khara was amused by him using her own words. "Rune was the one that was leaning against the wall. He is one of the high-ranking members of the Guild. He might not have the most important role in the Guild, but he is one of my most trusted." Khara explained and Veezara nodded. "Then there is Sapphire, the one with the brown hair. She too is just a high-member, but just as Rune, her opinion is valuable to me. The other man is Delvin, he deals with most of the papers and bigger deals and jobs. He works very closely to another man back in Riften, Brynjolf. Delvin is as calm as they get, I've never seen the man break a sweat." Khara said with a smile. "The other woman is Serana, she isn't a member of the Guild, but a friend nonetheless." Khara wanted to say more, but she did not want the truth of her relationship with Serana to be known to the Brotherhood. Even though Veezara seemed like a good man, he was still an assassin and Serana was simply too important to the wolf, she wouldn't risk it. "Just as myself, she is a vampire." _Do I tell him that she was the one to turn me? Or maybe that would only create more question?_ Khara wondered. _He does not need to know about mate_. The wolf answered, and her dragon hummed in agreement. "And she is very skilled with magic and potions."

"Ah, an alchemist. Gabriella and the other girls will keep her entertained then." Veezara said with a kind smile. It still felt so odd that this argonian was actually an assassin, he just doesn't seem like the type. He must have spotted Khara's confused expression because he suddenly asked. "You have a question?"

Khara looked into his eyes. "I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that you're an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood. If we would have met under any other circumstances, Veezara, I never would have guessed it." Her words were honest and the argonian appreciated it. "You seem too kind."

He nodded, he did see her point. "Well, as you know I have been with the Brotherhood since I was a hatchling, it is the only life I know, and I wouldn't change it. The connection and respect that my family have for each other is rare and is to be cherished. All members of the Brotherhood know this; blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family."

"But it's just that you're an assassin, you-." Khara stopped herself. "No, sorry, I apologize. I know better not to judge one by the actions of another. In the end, no matter what we have done, we all leave this world through the same door, no matter what profession we had."

"That is true." Veezara said, he wasn't offended. "But I can also see why you would think less of me because of my lifestyle. I kill people for coin, but then again so do you, Khara, and many other people in this Skyrim." The argonian said.

Khara lilted her head a little to the side as she looked at him with questions in her eyes. "What do you mean?" _What are you on about?_

"I mean, how are the bandits that you kill for bounties any different from the ones I kill for contracts?" Veezara pressed on.

"Bandits are _bandits_ , they terrorize people. They make others suffer and benefit from it. They aren't exactly top notched citizens of society; more people benefit from them being dead." Khara reasoned.

"But they are people too, are they not? They have families, loves ones, children and friends just as most do. And you do think that our contracts are only kindhearted people?" He let the question float in the air for a little while before speaking again. "Hate, anger and fear are the reasons for most contracts, do you think that the most well behaved and kind people within society are the reason for all that hate and anger?" Veezara asked the wolf.

His words were astonishing, his point clear and question obvious. "We accept the contract from the child who had lost his only parent in the war because the commander was too selfish and afraid. We help the man who lost his wife to a drunk and help avenge her when the guards were too lazy to lend a hand." Veezara said, his voice a little deeper as he spoke this time. "But that commander is also a husband to a wonderful woman, and that drunk have a daughter who depends on him." Veezara turned his head to the side as he inhaled deeply. "No matter who you remove, Khara, it's always a loss for someone in one way or another."

Khara was stunned, she was simply stunned. He was right, and she knew it. How she hadn't seen this before was unbelievable to the wolf. "You just gave me a new point of view there, Veezara." Khara offered with a surprised smile.

"Glad that I could offer you some wisdom, but I should also let you know that the Brotherhood have removed _good_ people too. But contracts that are accepted, is accepted because we follow our Night Mother and our Dread-Father's guidance. If a contract is to die, then it is so because Sithis whishes it." Their horses were suddenly startled when a wolf jumped out on the road. Veezara's horse went on it's back legs while Khara's took a few steps back while franticly breathing.

"Woah, faas ni." Khara said to her steed, not spooked by the wolf's appearance, but by the horses' reaction to the wolf.

Veezara managed to control his steed and made it take a few steps back so that he was next to Khara. Both riders were able to calm them down once the beast had passed them. With Khara having the beasts blood in her veins, the lone wolf only cared to give them a moment of its time before disappearing between the trees.

"Good thing we are about to leave the forest, all this vegetation does make both me and my steed unwary." Veezara said as they started to move again. He turned his head to scan their surroundings as the wolf had managed to grab the argonian's attention and interrupt his previous scouting. "You never know what or who might be lurking about."

Khara smirked and nodded. "Like an assassin for example." She joked.

"Or a master thief." The argonian said back, the wolf was pleased that Veezara was indeed good company. The argonian had his smarts, sense of humor and if Khara had to guess, he seemed honest and down to earth as well. All good qualities if you ask her. She was sure that the he would prove just as good in combat and in the art of stealth as he were in talking and selecting his words. Speech has always been a useful skill, yet many people seem to not know this or at least not be above the average when it comes to controlling what comes out of their mouths.

Too many times Khara had seen drunks and troublemakers add years to their sentence just because they said the wrong thing at the wrong time. In many situations, a silvered tongue will serve its master just as well as any dagger or blade, if not better. Many do not understand the weight that words can carry or how many people can be affected of them. At times, one single sentence can reach a heart faster than any arrow would ever be able to. It can change person's point of view and understanding faster than any spell and hold more knowledge than any book. Khara knew its worth and kept it just as maintained and sharpened as her blade and dagger, because to her, it was one of the most useful tools a person could carry.

She remembered the old days from when Mercer was still walking the Guild halls, or as her fellow members likes to call it, The Days of Sorrow, as dramatic as they are. She remembered that she was blown away by the man's speech, she was decent herself at the time, but no were close to the level Mercer were on. She had followed the man into Calixto's House of Curiosities in Windhelm once. Mercer had spotted something of value and asked Calixto if he would be interesting in selling it, but the man refused, saying that it was more valuable than the house itself and that only a fool would sell it. Khara learned three things that day. The first being that Mercer was extremely skilled with words, that the item of interest was indeed worth more than the house, and that Calixto was a fool.

Mercer had gotten the item for a good price, sold it a few weeks later and then used the coin earned to buy Calixto's house. And since the day Mercer purchased it, the House of Curiosities have been the Guild's base of operations within Eastmarch. Even though Mercer was the reason for the Guild's bad luck and for the fact that he tried killed Khara, the man had given her many useful lessons. And because of all that, she would give him the honor of remembering the man.

"Not much further now." The words shook her out of her thoughts. She looked out to the horizon and could see small lights in the distance that were Rorikstead. She hadn't been there much, but every time she sat her feet on that soil she couldn't help but feel a little chill creep up her spine. Hopefully, it was nothing.

"Good, I wouldn't mind a drink right about now." _Gods knows I could use it._

* * *

"Is The Worst of the worst the worst at being The Worst? Or is he the best at being the worst because he is The Worst of the worst?" Cicero said as he looked with wide eyes at Rune.

"Uh, I…." Rune leaned forward in his seat as placed a hand on his chin.

"Or maybe being The Worst of the worst is being bad at being the worst, which is good because being bad and being bad is good. _At least in most societies._ " The jester sighed as he sank in his seat.

"Discussing with Cicero really is a lost cause, Rune." Ivara said from where she sat, after Khara and Veezara had left them, they had been properly introduced to everyone.

After the Guild Master had left, Rune had fallen into a pit of boredom. His role in all this was simply to guard the others so, he was just standing around, not don't much talking. The man's tendency to become bored and not being able to endure it was his greatest weakness. Normally, he and Sapphire would have found something to do right about now, but the woman busy with business. So, Rune started talking with the jester when he had entered the room, and that was something Rune was starting to regret.

"No, hold on. I think I'm starting to get it." Rune said as his eyes refused to leave the jester's.

"But what if being The Worst of the worst means that you are the best at being the worst? Being good at being bad is bad because that means that you are bad at being good." Cicero said as he looked like he was lost in his crazy thoughts. He was now leaned back in his seat, eyes on the ceiling above as he had crossed his hands.

Rune looked at the jester with a confused expression, he gave up only a moment later. "No, nope. I'm not doing this." He waved his hands and sat down next to Sapphire, who was looking at him with an amused expression.

Cicero pouted before leaving the room, whining as he walks. "No one ever want to discuss with poor, poor Cicero."

Just as Cicero left the room, Nazir entered it. "I have some refreshments for you all."

Rune, Sapphire and Delvin all turned their heads to Serana. She mirrored their facial expression before she followed Delvin's eyes to the plate that was now placed on the table. _Oh._ She inhaled deeply through her nose, her sense of smell might not be as good as Khara's, but it was still good. "All good." She said after a moment. She knew her poisons and could tell that there was nothing to worry about. The few potions that were dangerous and that couldn't be smelled could easily be spotted with her enhanced vision.

Nazir chuckled as he finally saw what they were doing. "Don't worry. No poisons here." He said amused before sitting down. He started to talk with Delvin about possible scenarios that could occur, and Sapphire quickly joined in on the conversation.

Rune on the other hand, because he had just sent away his entertainment, was beginning to get bored. He looked over at Serana after grabbing an apple and spoke in a low voice so not to interrupt the others. "Care to take a look around?" Delvin had made sure that they were not to wander alone in here. Not when they knew so little.

Serana turned to look at Nazir for a moment, the man had heard Rune's question. "Please, feel free to explore." He said before rejoining the conversation in was previously in. He had orders from Astrid to make sure that their guest felt welcomed. Astrid had explained to every member of her family that they _needed_ their help. So, Nazir did what he could to make sure that their guests were comfortable or at least as comfortable as one could be in the home of master assassins.

Serana smiled before turning to look at Rune and offered a nod. They got up from the table and Rune patted Sapphire on her shoulder and shared a quick look with his friend. They left the room and entered the main room, Gabriella and S'aura was in the room too and were in a deep discussion. The dunmer women noticed that they were no longer alone in the room and Gabriella turned to look at the two.

She offered a smile before speaking. "Serana, you have quite the experience with brewing potions, correct?" The woman asked as she held the vampire's eyes.

"I do, need my opinion?" Serana asked as she and Rune stopped.

"That and maybe your skills, we're working on a rather delicate sleeping potion, or I guess a more accurate description might be a paralysis potion." Gabriella said as she clasped her hands together.

"What's the desired effect?"

"That the ones effected will freeze, unable to move their bodies and make sounds. Yet, we need them to look normal, they still need to be able to stand while effected. Also, after it is consumed it would need to take a few hours before the effect would take place and after that it would need to be effective for at least an hour, preferably two if possible." S'aura explained. The dunmer looked to her teacher and was earned with a proud nod from the other dark elf.

"Sounds like you want to make, whoever this if for, into a statue." Serana said with a small smile, this could be fun.

"Indeed, do you think it's possible?" S'aura asked.

 _I certainly do_. The vampire mused in her head. "It would take time and rather rare ingredients, but yes, very possible."

"Excellent, care to discuss the needed ingredients in the lab?" Gabriella asked as she moved to stand sideways at the same time as she nodded to a door.

"Lead the way." Serana looked over at Rune.

He nodded to her and opened his mouth. "I got your back."

They followed Gabrielle and S'aura into another room. There was an alchemy station as well as an impressive collection of rare and expensive ingredients spread out on the many different shelves and tables. Gabrielle walked over to a table and sat down and gestures for the others to do the same. Serana sat down while Rune leaned back against the stone wall, he always preferred to do so. He had also said that he had Serana's back, he planned on keeping that promise.

"So, what do you think we'll need to brew this exiting little potion of ours?"

Serana smiled, this was something she knew she was extremely good at. "We'll need to start at the beginning of the potion. You said that time would need time to pass before the effect kicked in, so let's add something that will boost the stamina." Serana said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I assume that we'll poison the person's food?"

"Correct."

"Okey, good. They will simply think that the added energy if from the food they just consumed, seeing to how we can't really make the effect just suddenly appear, it will come over time. So, while the paralysis effect is building up, the energy from the stamina increase will keep the person awake and unsuspicious. By the time the stamina is faded, the paralysis effect would already be fully activated." Serana said proudly. By the looks of Gabriella and her student, it was safe to say that they were pleased.

"What ingredient would be best?" S'aura asked. "Histcarp? Or perhaps some powdered mammoth tusks?" The young dunmer woman wondered out loud.

"Definitely some powder, we can mix some mammoth tusks with a couple of sabre cat teeth. That should work nicely, add a sabre cat eye and it should be all that we need for that part." Serana said as she nodded.

"Brilliant." Gabriella said as she wrote it all down. "And for the paralysis effect itself? I was thinking a canris root, a couple of briar heats along with some swamp fungal pods?"

Serana nodded her head in agreement. "Sounds right to me, but to be on the safe side, how about we add some refined rootbane powder?" Serana asked.

Both Gabriella and S'aura looked at her with confused faces. "I'm afraid we don't know what that is, nor where to acquire it."

Serana nodded. "It was used quite often back when I was still a mortal and I'm sure that I could get some. Do you have a raven that I could use?"

"That I do." Gabriella said with a kind smile. Astrid had informed all members to help the newcomers, she was simply following orders. And besides, listening to Serana talk about alchemy was interesting.

"Great. Now then, but how will we make the effect last for so long?" Serana used a hand to support her head as the question floated in the air.

They sat for a few minutes in silence as each one of them thought about possible solutions. It was Rune of all people who spoke. "Wait a moment, I might have something." He walked to the table and sat down with the women. "Skooma, as I'm sure you all know about, increases one's speed and stamina. The moon sugar is responsible for that, right?" He received a few nods from the others. "But the nightshade is what activates it and prolongs it, without nightshade, skooma would just be a normal stamina potion. So, maybe if we add some nightshade and prepare it as we would do if we were making skooma, then maybe the paralysis effect would be prolonged." He said as he shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know much about alchemy, but he did know _a lot_ about skooma, he lived in Riften after all.

"That might just work, Rune." Serana said amused and a little surprised. "Didn't take you for an alchemist." She said with a smile playing at her lips.

He winked at her all in good humor as he spoke. "Hush now, it's a secret." He then looked back at the table.

"This is very good. Now, when the effect is over, just to be on the safe side, how about we leave the person effected a little disorientated?" Gabriella asked them all.

"Salt, if prepared correctly, would case them to be slow with their movements." S'aura said as she rested her hands on the table.

"Very good, S'aura. I think we have all we need on the ingredients part."

Serana nodded as a thought entered her mind. "Because of the salt, the food would need to be some sort of dried meat or soup, in order for them not to get suspicious." Serana took a moment to connect the dots. "You're planning on using this on the Emperor's guards, aren't you?"

"We are. Don't worry about the food, the Shadowscales are working on that." Gabriella said as she looked over the table.

S'aura say that both Serana and Rune didn't understand what Gabriella meant with the words. "The Shadowscales are the argonians." She explained. Rune and Serana nodded their heads at the woman.

"S'aura, could you take Serana and Rune to the ravens, dear? I will need to start preparing the ingredients." Gabriella said as her eyes were glued to the piece of paper that she held in her hand.

"Of course." S'aura looked at Serana and Rune as she rose from her seat. "Follow me." She said to them.

Rune followed behind Serana as they walked through a narrow hall, once more they had entered a room. This must have been the dining area, due to the huge table and cooking station in the room. Even thought they were in a long nordic ruin run by assassins, Serana had to admit, it was cozy.

They walked up some stairs and entered a room that had feathers covering the stone floor. "Letters are over there." S'aura pointed to a table. "I'll just feed the ravens while you do that." There were a few ravens in the room, all had their own cages.

Serana sat down by the table and started to write her letter.

 _Garan,  
I am in need of something from my mother's old laboratory, a jar. It should be on the shelf next to the alchemy station. The jar should have a purple plant in it with a dark orange root covered with thorns. If you could have it delivered to the inn in Falkreath as soon as possible, I would appreciate it._

 _Lady Serana_

Serana thought about it for a moment. The raven would use about seven hours to the castle, perhaps even more if the wind had anything to say about it. She knew Garan very well, in the second the man would read her letter, he would drop whatever he was doing and get to it. Serana wouldn't be surprised if Garan would actually be the one to deliver the jar himself. He would probably by in Falkreath within a day and a half, around the same time Khara and Veezara should be on their way back if everything runs smoothly for them. _Khara_ …

Who would have thought that a vampire would miss the loving company of a werewolf? It felt strange to be away from her wolf, she had tried to whisper words to Khara with her mind, but the words must have not been able to reach the woman. Serana knew that the bond that they shared would only grow as years passed. Hopefully, some day they could talk with each other without being in the same hold. She was worried about this whole situation, worried about Khara and the others. However, there was this faint feeling in her chest that said not to worry, and she tried her very best to not do so.

After writing the letter and having placed it on a raven, she and Rune walked with S'aura back to Gabriella and help her out with preparing the ingredients needed for their potion. "Ah, Serana. I almost forgot." Gabriella suddenly said, she reached over to a table and grabbed a red potion. "Babette and Eryan thought you might need this." She handed the bottle to Serana with a kind smile.

Serana accepted the bottle, already knowing with it was filled with and it made her smile. "How kind of them." She inspected the bottle, its contents were red, and she would be sure that it would taste wonderful.

Gabriella chuckled by Serana's fascination by the bottle. "They wanted to ask you a few questions before they left. I am sure that when they return, you will be showered with all kinds of questions, it's been a while since we've had another vampire in our home and they sure seemed excited about it."

Serana nodded as she leaned back in her seat. "The refined rootbane powder should be here in about a days' time, but I'll need to go to Falkreath in order to grab it."

Gabriella looked up from her papers. "Well that works very well, me and S'aura have a few things that we need to buy from the local alchemist." Gabriella said. She had placed an order a few days ago and tomorrow it should be ready. "If you're comfortable with going with us, we would be more than happy to have you with. The sanctuary does tend to get rather boring."

"I'll go with you." Serana answered, she was one of the most powerful vampires in existence. If Gabrielle and S'aura, or anyone else for that matter tried anything, Serana should be able to handle it with little trouble.

They talked for a little while longer and Serana even helped with the brewing and showed the others a few tricks that she had picked up from her mother. When it was staring to get late she and Rune returned to Delvin and Sapphire. As they walked back Rune patted her shoulder to get her attention.

"Want me to come with you tomorrow?" He asked while they walked.

"It's should be fine." Serana answered as she turned her head to look at the man. "But thanks for the offer, Rune."

Rune moved a hand to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, uh…Don't mention it." They were closing in on their room and Rune had something he wanted to ask. He gently grabbed Serana's arm and the woman turned around with a raised eyebrow. "I need to-" He scrunched up his face. "Could I show you something?" He settled on saying.

Serana offered him a confused smile as she nodded. "Of course."

"Okey." He reached into a pocket and grabbed something. "You probably don't know what it means, but…" He moved his hand closer to Serana and opened his hand so that she could see what he had in his hand. "I was wondering if you could tell what the runes on it meant?"

Serana looked at the strange stone. "May I?" She asked as she gestured to the stone.

Rune raised both his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah. Go for it."

Serana took the stone and inspected it closely as she ran her index finger over it. Except for the dips of the runes that were carved into the stone, the surface was smooth and flawless even. Her thoughts reached every corner of her mind as she searched for any memories of anything familiar to it, but she had never seen anything like it before. "I'm sorry, Rune, I don't know what it means." She said as she looked up at the man.

Rune just shrugged his shoulders as Serana gave him his stone back. "Oh well, I just thought that since you've been around for so long that you might have seen something like it before." His eyes fell to the ground and he held them there for a moment before letting out a little sigh, then looking back up. "It was worth a try I guess."

Serana tired to meet his eyes, but Rune kept them on the stone wall next to them. "I'll keep an eye out for anything."

"Appreciate it." He said as he finally met her eyes and he offered her a small smile, but a grateful smile nonetheless. "Come now, we should get back to the others."

* * *

"Do we know what he looks like?" Khara asked.

"He's a young imperial with dark skin. Every morning the Penitus Oculatus trains for hours, all except for him. Because he is the son of the Commander of the order, he is the one who deals with the paper work, mainly because Commander Maro wants him to be his successor and take command when he himself gets too old." Veezara explained.

"Do we know for certain that he will be alone?" The wolf asked as she looked at the person next to her.

"Afraid not. Just as most things in life, nothing is written in stone. Which is why-"

"Which is why I'm here, got it." Interrupted him with a small smile.

Veezara looked ahead and shook his head while he smirked. "That would be right."

They had been in Dragon Bridge for maybe an hour now, maybe more. They sat on a hill overlooking the town as they ate some dried meat that they had bought back in Rorikstead. The whole stay at Rorikstead was nothing special. They had arrived, taken a few drinks, slept and then left. Is was just about as eventful as the other times Khara had been there. Some young man was basically begging his father to go adventuring to a crypt nearby while another man was talking to a high elf woman about how useless his children were and _never_ to get any herself. In other words, it was typical towns drama.

Because when Khara really thought about it, every town in Skyrim had something happening. Karthwasten in the Reach was having problems with the natives and a quite wealthy family from Markarth, both sides claiming that the town's folk were working with the other. Then you have Riverwood with its love triangle drama, two men were fighting for the affection of the same woman and the length they took it to was almost impressive. Shor's Stone in the Rift have something that keeps attracting the local spiders to their mine, something that the inhabitants very much dislikes. And then you have Helgen and, well, that place burned down. The list only goes on and on. It seems like that in Skyrim, no matter where you are, there is always something interesting happening. Living in the most snow-covered land in Tamriel was not for those who wanted a quiet life, now that's a fact.

Veezara nudged Khara's arm from where they sat on a rock. Khara turned to look at him and saw that he nodded down to the building that Gaius should be in. "Looks like training is about to starts." He said as they could both see men and women leaving the building.

"And thus, our work begins, let's get this over with." Khara said as she slides of the rock and lands on her feet. When Veezara had told Khara that the Penitus Oculatus starts training in the early mornings he wasn't kidding, the soldiers were up before the sun was.

"Want me to have a go on the lock?" Veezara said as he jumped down to stand next to Khara.

"I got it." Khara responded as they sneaked down the hill and got closer to the outpost. There was a back entrance much to their surprise, it would certainty prove useful for the whole situation. They got up to the door and Khara reached down to a pouch to grab a lockpick. As she worked on it she spoke to her companion. "Once this is open just go for the boy. I'll throw a muffle spell on him, so don't worry about anything falling over or screaming." Khara whispered.

"I didn't know that muffle spells worked like that?" He responded in the same tone as the wolf.

"I'm the Archmage of the Collage. There are many old and forgotten spells hidden away in the books in the library there." Khara said as she managed to unlock the door. She locked eyes with the argonian and have a nod. "One."

Veezara readied himself and took a stance so that he could move as fast at possible. "Two." He continued.

Khara readied the spell and rose the other hand to open the door. "Three."

It happened fast. In the second the door flew open, Veezara lunged inside with his dagger drawn and Khara was right behind him. She used her now free hand to use telekinesis on the door behind them, closing it as she looked around the room, searching for their target. However, there wasn't just one man in the room, but two. Khara took a gamble and threw her spell at the boy with the darker skin. Veezara threw his dagger at the other man, sending it directly to the middle of the man's lower throat. His chocking was quiet and before he fell to the ground, Khara had quickly removed her cloak and placed it at the man's feet, they didn't want a bloodied mess after all.

Veezara had easily disarmed the boy before he could even register what was happening. He used a technique to tie the boy's hand's behind his back in record time. The argonian held the boy's arms and he moved a hand to hold his head back. Thanks to Khara's magic, the boy's cries for help were faded and weak.

"The poison." Veezara asked. "Pouch on the left on my belt." He said as he tilted his head to the side.

Khara nodded and walked over to the two. She opened the pouch and grabbed a small, purple bottle. As she held the bottle in her hand, it felt like the seconds were transformed into minutes, into hours. She watched as the boy struggled in Veezara's hold, trying everything to get the argonian's hold on him to falter. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as Khara was sure that he understood what happening to him since _poison_ had been mentioned. The way his eyes franticly looked around, desperately searching for something that would save him, that would aid him in this situation. And the way he clenched his teeth from time to time only made Khara pity the boy even more. She was grateful that she was wearing a mask, but also uncomfortable as the boy was now staring her dead in the eye, refusing to look away.

Veezara's body moved with the boy's struggles, but the assassin's feet were firmly planted on the stone floor. Khara could see that Veezara was saying something to her, but his words were faded and unclear. _Did I throw a muffle spell on Veezara too?_ She shook her head and cleared whatever fog had entered her mind.

"Khara. The poison, give it to me, I will do it." He said and was handed the bottle by the wolf. _Oh no…_ Khara's eyes flew back to the boy's. _Please don't know my name, please don't._ Feelings of dread entered her as the boy's eyes widened at the mention of her name. His body slowly stopped its movements as he simply looked at her. Veezara took advantage of the reaction and successfully managed to get the poison in the boy. Anger then entered him, he struggled even more than before, but Veezara's hold on him was still strong.

Veezara saw that Khara was finding the situation difficult. The boy struggled in his hold and tried to grab the argonian's head, but the assassin easily avoided his desperate hands. "If it helps-" He began, successfully grabbing Khara's attention. "Then look at us as a necessary evil." He said as he moved his head to look at the boy. "One must die so that others may live."

As the potion's effect took place, the boy refused to look away. Even though the poison hadn't killed him yet, one could already see that he had given up. Within a minute or so, he was leaned back into Veezara, the beating sound in his chest no longer there.

"There he goes." Veezara's voice was softer than normal. "You are with the Dread-father now, rest well, Gaius Maro." He said as he lowered the boy to the floor and using his hand to close the boy's eyes. He then took a moment to look around them before picking him back up and carrying the corpse over to a table. He placed him down in a chair and made it look like the boy was sleeping from where his lifeless body sat.

Khara had managed to get her head back in the game and walked over to help the argonian place the empty skooma bottles around the boy's corpse. One in his hand, some one the table as well as some on the floor around the scene that they were staging. Once done with their task Veezara turned around and wrapped the other dead man up in Khara's cloak after having reclaimed his dagger. "This is only a courier, we're in luck." He hoisted the cloak covered man over his shoulder and turned to the door. "We'll drop him off in the forest behind where we sat earlier, a bear or a pack of wolfs should deal with him nicely." He looked around and was both surprised and pleased that there were no drops of blood to be seen in the room.

Khara only nodded as she opened the door for them. She carefully peeked outside and when all was clear, she and Veezara left the outpost. They dropped off the body and started their journey to their next location, the docks by Brinewater Grotto.

"Babette and Eryan should have done their task by now. If all goes recording to plan, then Commander Maro will be forced to say his goodbye to Gaius _very_ soon."

"What have they done?" _Two vampires can't be up to anything good_.

"They cleared out a bandit camp not far from here, made their corpses look like citizens and used a carriage to take them to Solitude. The city's caretaker for the deceased, Styrr, should have his hands full. So, Maro will be forced to deal with it himself and rather fast too." Veezara explained as they rode towards the Solitude Lighthouse.

"You and your family sure have put a lot of work into this." She had to admit, it was impressive. She never knew that this much planning went into assassinations and she had only seen a fraction of the plan so far. She was sure that the further unto it as they got, the more impressive it would be come.

"We always do, it is our job after all. Just as others who work, we too value quality." Khara only nodded to that as she didn't have anything to say at the moment. Her mind could use the silence to reflect on what had happen and prepare her on what that was still to come. Because if anything, this would only become more difficult for the wolf, for all of them.

As they could see the lighthouse, they could also see a person riding towards them and he looked familiar. "Tidings, Vah'Sur." Veezara said as the argonian approached them.

"Well met, Brother." Their horses stopped next to each other. Vah'Sur sent a nod to Khara as a greeting before he spoke again. "I have cleared out Brinewater Grotto, Astrid wanted us to use it when asking Maro the questions."

"Very well." Veezara said as he nodded to his fellow Shadowscale.

"I must go now, I can hear the Night Mother calling me. May the Dread-Father watch over you both." Vah'Sur said as he looked in the direction of Solitude.

"As for you, Brother." Veezara responded with a nod and with that Vah'Sur left them just as fast as he had joined them.

Khara and Veezara rode the little distance that was left and hid their horses before walking towards the coast. "I will enter the water and capture Maro when the time is right. When I do, come aid me in getting him into Brinewater." Khara agreed to do so.

Once again, they found themselves waiting. They talked a little, but the most part they let the silence float around them undisturbed. Their plan proved to have worked when they spotted a man with a horse with a corpse wrapped up in cloth on the steed. They watched as Maro lowered his dead son's body into a small wooden boat and poured some liquid on it.

"Shall we begin?" Khara asked as she looked at the grieving father.

Veezara saw the look in Khara's eyes. "In a moment-" He responded before joining the wolf's eyes and looking at the Commander as well. "Let Maro say his goodbyes to his son."

And so, the father said goodbye to his son. Never again would he hear his laugh, see his smile nor enjoy his company. To lose a child is any parents nightmare, but to lose your only family is everyone's nightmare. And to be alone is the greatest fear of all, a kind of fear that Maro would become very familiar with over the next weeks. Khara knew how it felt, after all it wasn't all that long ago since she was in Maro's shoes, alone and afraid of what the future might bring. For the future is a scary thing. The unknown is scary. To not have the power to know what will happen is frightening to all, some are just better at hiding it.

Khara followed Maro's eyes out to the burning boat. "It is time." Veezara said as he entered the water.

Khara got up from where she sat and moved to get closer to the start of the dock, making sure that she wasn't seen and that she watched where she placed her feet in order not to alert Maro of her presence. She saw how Veezara emerged from the water and jumped up om the dock behind Maro. She saw how he punched the distracted man in the head and how Maro fell to the ground, unconscious.

Khara ran over to Veezara and helped the argonian in dragging Maro's unmoving body into Brinewater Grotto. Inside there was couple of corpses, most likely bandits by the looks of it. There were also some chairs. They sat Maro down in one and tied him up. Veezara forced a potion down the man's throat before giving him a stamina potion as well, so that he would wake up faster.

It didn't take long before the commander's eyes roamed around lazily. He furrowed his brows as he looked around. "You will tell us everything you know about the Emperor's arrival, about his guards, their schedules. _Everything_."

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara:** Faas ni. **– Fear not.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I love making Rune the character that is victim in most of my _less serious_ scenes, it's just too much fun. Some other characters that was very fun to write in this chapter was Veezara and Gabriella. I my mind they are the kindest and the smartest (along with Festus Krex) members of the Brotherhood. It was also fun to try and explain to Khara that what they do might not be as bad as she originally thought. There is just something about trying to justify the actions of assassins that really get to me I guess. I like where this is going, I like the characters and I like the quest that they are on.

There is something else that I wanted to say. Words cannot describe the feeling I get my chest when I see a review from one of you and when it says that you enjoyed the chapter. To be able to create something that I know others enjoy feels pretty damn good.

I also wanted to let you know what no matter your thoughts or opinions on a chapter, I'd like to hear what you thought about it. Did you like something? Write about it. Did you dislike something? Write about it. Is there something that you would like to see or is there character that you miss? Write about it.

The path or the length of this story is not written in stone. I simply make up the story as I go, always have and I will continue to do so. Sure, when I, for example, write about a quest, the objective is always the same, and if not very similar to that what it is in the game. However, how we get to those objectives are different. (At least I really try to make them different :P) So if you have an idea why not share it? If I think it could work with my story, then I might add it.

So, yeah. I just wanted to let you all know that. Just as Serana is the fuel to Khara's flame, _you_ are the fuel to mine. _You_ inspire me to continue this story so thank you.

I wanted to thank **Readinglover3** , **Lammen Gorthaur** and **S7ncrasy** for your reviews that you have all given my story over the last few days, it's always fun to see that others enjoy the story and it's so much fun to see your opinion and such.

Oh! Before I forget….Happy new year people!

Have a great day guys and gals.

-Zep


	19. Chapter 19

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 19_

 _The Return of the Vampire Hunters_

 _I remember my first transformation, the one that connected me with my wolf aspect, the one that created the bond. My bones shattered and bended in unnatural ways, I still remember the crackling sound of it. Every sense was heightened, everything felt different. I felt powerful yet scared as I also felt that all that power could easily be the cause for suffering to others. I was worried and afraid that I couldn't control it at first, but just as Lord Hircine had told me, the aspect never tried to take control._

 _At first it was strange to hear another voice in my head, one that I could have a full conversation with, one that could see, hear and smell what I did. I remember feeling like I wasn't so alone when I walked in forgotten dungeons or when I rode the quiet roads of Skyrim at night. I felt like I had a guardian watching over me, protecting both my body and mind from those who would seek to harm me._

 _It was like having another person with you. My inner wolf gave me useful information while fighting. I might just have one body, but with my wolf, I had two minds. I was able to block more attacks, dodge more blades and even make my blade hit the arrows that were aimed for my head. It took some time to get used to fighting like that and to hear my wolf speak in the heat of combat at the same time, but I mastered it._

 _I can recall the night I was hunting a bandit chief after having successfully slayed his comrades. I ran through the forest, I followed his tracks that was planted in the mud. I remember that I ran with wolves that night, wild, untamed beasts of the wild. I remember the feel of the leaves as they touched my leather covered body as I ran. I remember the sound of my heartbeat, my feet as well as the wolfs that were running with me. I remember hearing them panting as they flew over the ground. I remember the smell of the forest, the flowers, the trees, the animals, the blood of the man that I was hunting. I remember feeling the beating in my chest increase as I heard a howl in my mind, that was when I transformed for the first time. I remember that I slowly descended on all four, that I suddenly ran faster and that I suddenly was able to catch up with the man._

 _I remember the look in his eyes as I ripped him open. I also remember that I was next to a lake when I took his life, and I remember the look in my eyes when I saw what I had become. I wanted to be afraid of the beast that was looking back at me in the water reflection, but the voice in my head said that there was nothing to be afraid of. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to turn back to myself, but the voice in my head told me not to worry as a dark mist slowly covered my body. I remember that I suddenly stood a few centimeters lower than before, that my heart had calmed down and that my breathing wasn't as heavy as before. I also remembered that the voice in my mind told me never to be frightened as it would never try to control me, it told me that it was a power for me to call upon whenever I wished it._

Khara sat on her horse as she remembered that night with a faint smile on her face. Her wolf aspect had kept it's promise to her after all this time. It never did anything she didn't want it to do and it never betrayed her or tried to trick her. She had visited her very first memories with the wolf because for every minute that passed, its howls of excitement of seeing Serana again only grew louder _._

Her eyes were on the road in front of her. It wouldn't be long until they were in Rorikstead now. Both she and Veezara had agreed to go straight to the sanctuary and rest there instead of favoring the inns rooms this time around. They had useful information with them and wanted to share it with the others as fast as possible. Well, Khara also wanted to see a very special person as soon as possible too, so that was also the reason for her to push through. Thanks to Serana's gift to the wolf, Khara's stamina was better than ever before.

Just after they had entered the Pine Forest, Khara and Veezara had met Arnbjorn. The werewolf had told them that there was someone in Morthal that needed to stay in Morthal, and that he was going to make sure the person didn't leave.

"Oh, and just so you don't freak out when you get back." Arnbjorn said as he looked at Khara. "Gabriella and S'aura took Serana to Falkreath to do some shopping and fetch a few items. They left a few hours before I did, you just might catch up with them if you hurry." The man said to Khara before he left her and his fellow assassin.

Veezara looked at Khara and spoked. "If you wish to go to them, then please don't let me stop you. I'll make sure that Astrid and Delvin, along with the others, get the information we got from Maro." He offered the woman.

Khara held his eyes for a moment before she made her decision and nodded. "Thank you, Veezara. It's been surprisingly pleasant to work with you." She offered with an honest smile.

"Likewise." The argonian said back.

Khara nodded as she made her horse sprint at it's full speed. With the steed moving at it's fastest she quickly moved past Half-Moon Mill, then Falkreath watchtower. She would soon see the town and hopefully Serana.

* * *

"Why don't you go and fetch the ingredients, dear?" Gabriella asked her student. "I'll come join you in a moment."

"Sure thing." S'aura said and left the two women as she walked over to the alchemy shop.

Serana and Gabriella entered the inn together and looked around. Serana saw a man sitting in a chair in one of the corners. He was wearing dark grey and brown leather armor, Serana knew that armor, she knew the man who was wearing it. Orange eyes met, and the man sent her a small nod as a greeting at the same time as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the bar.

"A room, please." He said as he placed a decent sized bag of coin on the counter for the innkeeper to take.

"Alright." She reached down and grabbed a key before giving it to him. "Down the stairs, last room on the left."

Serana appreciated the man's ability to see that giving her a jar of a rare plant in the middle of the inn would only create questions for the locals. She gestured for Gabriella to follow her as they too went down the stairs.

He opened the door, entered the room and held the door open for the two women. "Lady Serana." He now said with a respectful bow.

"Good day, Garan. Did your journey prove difficult?"

"No, my Lady. No problems at all." He then saw that another woman that had followed Serana entered the room as well. Their eyes met and Garan rose a hand for Gabriella to place his hand on, and so she did. "I am Garan, my lady. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said as he lowered his head to place a short but respectful kiss on the dunmer woman's hand, call him old school but for him, that is how all women should first be greeted, especially such fine women as the one who stood in front of him.

"Such manners." Gabriella praised amused. "And please, call me Gabriella." She surely enjoyed having this man's attention, and a dunmer man nonetheless.

Garan looked at the woman and offered her a small smile before turning his body to face Serana, who was looking at them both with a knowing smile on her face. Garan tried his best not to let his embarrassment show as he pulled out the jar from his bag and placed it on the table. "I hope that this is the item you desired, my Lady?"

Serana moved over to where he stood next to the table and looked down at the jar. "It is, thank you."

"If I can have a moment of your time, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Garan asked.

Serana looked over to Gabriella and the dunmer woman offered her a smile. "I will go and help S'aura. Please stay for as long as needed, you know the way back." She said and after she was given a smile and nod from Serana. Gabriella's eyes then fell on Garan and she offered him a sweet smile. "Pleasure meeting you, Garan."

Garan stood a little straighter and nodded to the woman. "Likewise, Gabriella. The pleasure was all mine." Gabriella then left the room, leaving the two vampires alone.

Serana noticed how Garan's eyes lingered on the door after it had closed and she had to smile, she knew what that look meant. "How's things back at Castle Volkihar?"

"Oh yes, care to sit?" He said as he gestured for Serana to take a seat. Serana nodded and they both sat down. "As to be expected I would say. The changes are, well, they are changes…We're adjusting still, but adjusting nonetheless. You'd be pleased to know that we have been following your wishes without too many problems, my Lady."

Serana looked at the man sitting opposite her. "And how are you?" Garan sat a bit straighter at the unexpected question. He furrowed his brows for a moment before Serana spoke again. "I mean how do you feel about all-" Serana gestured her hand around. "All of this. And you can be honest, Garan." Their eyes met. "I'm not my father."

He took a moment to think about that, how _he_ felt about this. About him leading the Volkihar Clan in Serana's name. How it felt to live the same life as before, but in new light. "The changes are _different_ from what I am used to, but I wouldn't dare say that they are worse." He looked to the side as more memories and words filled his mind. "Due to the task that you had given us we have been away from the island more. We've seen more of the world, the _real_ world. It's refreshing, really." He then nodded as the smallest of smiles could be seen on his face. "No, I am good, my Lady, better than I have been in centuries." He answered with honesty as he looked at Serana.

"That's good to hear." Serana said with a kind smile. "Where have you and the others been dealing with the vampires so far?"

"Mostly just in Hjaalmarch and Haafingar so far, my Lady. We have been doing some work in the Reach too, but I believe due to its rather difficult terrain that it will still take some time before we can be as sure to say that it is wiped clean of vampires."

"I can see why, I've only been there for a short time but the way the rocks are formed in that hold…I'm surprised anyone would willingly live there to be honest. The landscape is, well…It's twisted." A pretty accurate description of the Reach, and most of those who live in it.

Garan chuckled at those words. "Agreed. There is something I'd like to ask you, a personal question if it's in my place?"

Serana tilted her head as she looked at the man. "You can ask as many questions as you want, just don't expect me to answer them all." She said with a clever smile.

"You sound just like Lady Valerica." Garan said with a small, yet kind smile. "She would have been proud, you know. Of the person you have become." Serana's eyes left his own as she only nodded. "I wanted to ask how _you_ are, Serana."

"Does your blood-oath require you to do so?" Serana asked with a low voice.

"Our friendship requires me to do so." He said with a strong voice and it made it Serana's lips twist up, forming a small smile. "If memory serves right, we did have some rather _hilarious_ times together, did we not?"

"No, you're right. We did." She responded with a nod as she looked at the man, her old friend.

"Remember when you were training your magica and _accidently_ turnedOrthjolf into a cow?" Garan asked with a grin before releasing a small laugh.

"Hey-" Serana chuckled with Garan. "You were in on that as well, it was after all, _you_ who showed me the spell."

Garan smiled as he nodded. "Or what about when Vingalmo were forced to clean the Thrall Dungeon for not having restocked Harkon's favorite wine?"

"Oh yes, I also remember hearing father's yelling while we were in the laboratory drinking father's most favorite wine." Serana was now laughing. She used a finger to remove a tear that rolled down her cheek. "But to answer your question-" She said as she looked at him. "I should feel more upset or angry than I do I suppose, but I just can't find it in me."

"And what do you think are the reason for that?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Serana looked past Garan and let his question hover in the air for a moment, she gave it time to sink in. "Must be the company I'm in." She answered.

Garan smiled at that. "You are still with the wolf?" He asked, but quickly added. "I mean no disrespect with that, I simply do not know the name."

"It's fine, Garan." Serana answered with a calm voice. She knew that Khara's name hadn't been mentioned to him before. "Her name is Khara and yes, I'm still traveling with her." _Among other things_.

"Good, from the few words that escaped her, I got the impression that she is very wise compared to most mortals."

"About that…" Serana's eyes fell to the floor while a small smile played on her lips. _Should I tell him? About me and Khara and what our relationship really is?_

Garan looked at her, searched her eyes as her words echoed in his mind. "My…Have you turned your very first mortal, Serana?" He asked amused. Such a thing was something to be proud of for vampires after all.

"Well…" Serana dragged out the words. _I probably won't hear the end of it if I do tell. And what if Garan does not approve of such a relationship?_

"A simple yes or no will do, Serana." He said with a chuckle.

"She wanted it and she had already done so much for me, you know? It was the least I could do." Serana said with a smile.

He hummed as he leaned back in his seat. He saw something in Serana's eyes when they talked of the wolf, but the look was foreign for him, he did not understand its meaning. "I am glad for you. Having someone who would do that, well, you have a friend for life there." He pointed out.

"Yes, she has showed me so much since I met her. Places, people, creatures. I've seen things that I didn't know existed, Garan. And I've seen a lot of things over the years." Her last sentence held some humor to it.

Garan chuckled as he nodded. "I'm glad."

"You and me both." She chuckled as she sat a little straighter in her seat. "Now, what was it you wanted to discuss?" Serana asked when she suddenly felt another's presence nearby.

Garan was about to open his mouth when the door opened again. For a moment Serana thought that it was Gabriella again, but that turned out to be wrong as Serana could hear a heartbeat that she had grown very familiar with. "Ah, Khara. I was just about to update Lady Serana with news from Volkihar. Since you were quite involved yourself, I take it that you too would like to hear about it." He said as he gestured for the wolf to take a seat next to them.

Serana's eyes moved to the side as she kept her head straight. Her lips parted, and a feeling emerged within her as she smelled the wolf's scent as Khara moved closer. Khara too could also sense a feeling within her as soon as her eyes fell on Serana. Her wolf howled with excitement as her feet moved her closer. Serana could feel the wolf's eyes on her and it only made her want to turn around and jump into the woman's arms. However, neither of them did so as Khara simply sat down and shared a quick smile with Serana before she nodded to Garan to continue.

He gave her another nod before he began. "Ever since you left we have worked day and night to do as you whished, my Lady. We have found many vampire camps and hideouts. Many have left Skyrim for good, others tried to resist." He said as his eyes fell on his hands that rested on the table. "And some asked for a second chance." His eyes met Serana's. " We have around twenty low blooded vampires in the castle's dungeons at the moment. I know that you didn't ask for us to take prisoners, but these vampires gave me and my fellow members an idea that we thought may be pleasing to you both." He said as his eyes darted between the two women.

"And what might that be?" Serana asked intrigued.

"When you and Khara here went looking for that Moth Priest you found him in a fort, correct?"

"Yes, Fort Dawnguard." Khara responded as she turned her head a little to the side as she couldn't keep her eyes away from Serana for long.

"Do you know the story of the fort and how it came to be?" Both women shook their heads at the man. "It dates back to the Second Era and it was built by the Jarl of Riften. The Jarl's son was overly confident and liked going on little adventures, his carelessness made it so that the boy contacted vampirism. His father, The Jarl, refused to kill his own son, so instead he commissioned the construction of the fort and contracted a large mercenary force, named the Dawnguard to watch over his son and keep him quarantined. Anyways they had to put down the Jarl's son at the end, but after that they continued their work as vampire hunters."

Serana looked at Garan and she was starting to get what he was about to ask. "And this idea you came up with?" Serana asked as she felt two pair of eyes on her.

"What if the Dawnguard were to return? The fort stands abandoned, claimed by none and it would seem that Skyrim could be in need for such hunters these days." Garan asked the two.

"The return of the vampire hunters…" Khara let the words dance on her tongue, it had a certain sound to it. "Sure, it would help and all, but where are we to find enough people to fill the fort's halls and patrol the roads?" Khara asked as she looked at the man. "I can't imagine many would volunteer to take on such a role." Because who would take on such a task? To put their own lives on the line in order to help strangers? And against vampires too out of all things.

"Well, it just so happens that I have twenty men and women under my command that are waiting for their next order." Garan said with a small smirk, he was proud of his plan after all.

"You wish to use vampires to hunt vampires?" Serana asked, a small smile creeping on her lips as she spoke. _Very clever, Garan. Very clever._

"Yes. Who knows where to find vampires better than a vampire itself? They are familiar with the magic, fighting styles and the appearance of one. It should prove to be little of a challenge." The man said as he tried to gain the Lady's approval of this plan.

"How do we know we can trust them to follow orders?" Serana asked as she leaned back in her seat and rested her hands over her stomach.

"We can make them take a blood-oath, my Lady." Garan responded with a firm nod.

"And how are we to keep them fed? There are bandits all around, sure. But what if they are required to work in a town or other places where feeding can't be done in secret?" Khara asked as she moved her eyes to Serana, then back to Garan as she leaned closer to the table. _So close, yet so far away_. The wolf aspect whined.

"Blood potions. We can set up an alchemy lab within the Fort and assign a team to brew them. I can understand if this will not satisfy you, my Lady. If you want them gone then I shall remove them." His only goal was to please his master, if Serana didn't like the idea, then he would gladly forget about the plan and take care of the lower blooded vampires back at the castle.

"No, I-" Serana thought about it for a moment. "I think we might be onto something good here. Who would lead them?" _I don't want to turn into my father, having others under my command like that._

"Well, you would. I am sure that a few of the clan members wouldn't mind staying there for a bit in order to get things up and running. And of course, the Dawnguard vampires would be disguised as mortals, we already have a few ideas of armor sets that would hide the true nature of what they are." His eyes searched Serana's. "They would not feel on those who didn't deserve it, I promise you. If they were to take a blood oath, then I will make that one of the many rules they will be forced to follow."

"We would need a lot of supplies in order for this to work, that and a lot of coin." Khara said as she leaned back in her seat. "Me and the Guild would be glad to help." Both Serana and Garan nodded to that."

"And what does the lesser vampires say about this?" Serana asked. Did the low blooded vampires know about this plan? Did they agree to it?

"It is either that or death for them at this point. I am sure that they would be glad to be assigned to the fort and take on the role as a Dawnguard." Garan said as he remembered how the vampires had begged him not to kill them, but to help them find a purpose for them in this world.

"What do you think, Khara?" Serana asked as she let her eyes look at her wolf.

"I have to agree with Garan, I think that this could work." Khara said as she nodded. "Sure, it would take time and resources in order to do it, but I have faith. It's a good plan and if it works then there will be one less threat out there to worry about." Khara said as she looked into Serana's eyes and nodded.

"Okey, say that we do this. _How_ do we do this?" Serana asked as she gestured with her hand.

"We will reshape the fort, get the needed supplies and then get the vampires into the Dawnguard armor. They would look to the cities and towns for bounties in the start, but once we start building a name for ourselves, then I am sure that people would come to us seeking help." That is how one builds reputation after all.

"You said that I would lead them, but who would pass on to them my orders?" Surely Garan had thought about this, he knew that Serana never was one to sit on a throne.

"Hestla have volunteered to do so. After all she was a Companion many lifetimes ago, she is a genius with a forge as well as she is with having people under her command. She and some others would make the weapons and armor. And rest assured that you would not have to lift a finger, my Lady. I will personally deal with all of it. So, if you wish it, all you have to do is to say so."

"Very well, do what must be done in order to see it through."

"As you wish." Garan said with a pleased smile. "Now then, I am afraid that I will have to leave you, a recent incident caused us to lose all of our ravens, so I will have to get some new ones."

"What incident?" Serana asked carefully as she raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Feran wanted to try a new blood-magic spell, it…-" Garan rose from his seat. "Well, it didn't have the desired effect." He walked over to the door with Serana and opened it. "I will keep you updated, my Lady." He said as he gave Serana the key to the room.

"Stay safe, Garan." He nodded to Serana and closed the door as he left. Serana locked the door and placed the key in her pocket before she turned her head to the side. She could see that Khara was no longer sitting by the table, but standing by it whilst looking at her. She bit her lips as she tried to fight off the smile on her lips as she turned her head back to look at the door. "Did your mission with Veezara go well?"

"Yes." Khara answered as she took a few steps closer to Serana.

"And you got what you were looking for?" Serana asked as her eyes fell down to the floor, she could hear Khara's feet move along the wooden floor.

"Yes." Was the wolf's response again. She was now standing directly behind Serana and she knew that Serana could feel her warmth.

"You're not very talkative right now, Khara." Strong, warm arms snaked their way around her waist as the wolf rested her head on her shoulder.

Khara nuzzled herself against Serana's neck and closed her eyes as she whispered in her ear. "Maybe I don't want to talk about the mission." Her voice was so low and gentle. Just to be able to smell Serana's scent again was divine, but to be able to touch her too was even better.

Serana closed her eyes as she smiled at being in her wolf's arms again. "What do you want to do then?" She whispered.

"To hold you." Khara said as she gave Serana a little squeeze. "To feel your skin." She let her lips drag over the woman's exposed neck. "To kiss you." She placed a small kiss on her neck. "To just be with you, Serana. That's what I want, what I _need_."

Serana got the shivers from hearing those words come from her wolf in that sweet tone. She turned around in Khara's arms and rested her forehead against the wolf as she moved her arms around the back of Khara's neck. "I've missed you." She whispered as she looked into blue eyes. She leaned her head back a little as she spoke. "You and your sweet words." She claimed the wolf's lips in a gentle and slow kiss.

They both inhaled deeply at the contact because there _it_ was again, that feeling of electricity that made them both so very aware of the other. That feeling that danced under their skin in the most wonderful way. Ice and fire danced together whenever they touched, no matter how short or how light the contact was, it was always there.

Khara's feet were currently under her wolf's command as they moved closer to the door. She pressed Serana's back against it as she continued to move her lips against the other woman's, slow and loving. And they did so for a little while before Khara let her head fall to Serana's shoulder with her eyes closed.

Serana smiled and ran her fingers through white hair. "Tired?"

Khara hummed in response. "Exhausted." She then placed a kiss on Serana's neck. "You?"

"I won't deny it-" She said as she looked at the furniture before her. "That bed looks very tempting."

"For how long do we have the room?" Khara asked as she slowly walked backwards while bringing Serana with her.

"For a day." Serana responded with a smile.

"Let's rest then. We probably won't have much free time in the days to come." Khara said as she pressed her lips to a cool cheek before starting to remove her armor and clothes. She looked over at Serana and saw that she was doing the same. Oh, how the fabric fell to the floor was hypnotizing for Khara. The way the lack of clothing was slowly revealing more and more of that smooth, pale _flawless_ skin. She couldn't form words, her wolf had lost its voice and her dragon stopped flapping its wings, they had all lost their focus on what they were previously doing to the woman next to them.

The wolf did manage to remove her armor after a few seconds of _appreciating_ Serana's form at the end and crawled under the covers. It was first now that she felt how tired her body really was, how her muscled ached and how her eyes felt heavy. She pulled Serana closer when the other woman had joined her in bed and held her close. Serana rested her head on Khara's chest as she slowly ran her fingers up and down the wolf's naked arm.

"I forgot to ask you if you were hungry before I left." Khara said with an apologetic voice. She was too distracted to even think of Serana's needs back then and it made her a little angry at herself. She should never forget anything about Serana, _never_. And yet she did, it felt awful. She moved her eyes to the side.

"Don't worry, Babette and Eryan had it covered." Serana reassured the wolf. "Don't worry, Khara. If I was really hungry I would have told you, promise." She said as she ran her fingers over one of the wolf's brows, trying to remove the frown that her wolf was currently showing. It made Khara smile a little.

"Okey, but are you…Hungry now?" _Please say yes._

"Are you offering?" Serana asked with a smirk, she already knew the answer. She moved so that she could see those blue eyes.

"For you? Always." Khara said with a charming smile as she looked up at Serana. "You know that." She whispered as she moved a hand to caress the woman's left cheek. "I do require payment though."

"Whatever you want." Serana whispered back. Khara smiled up at her even more than before and moved her hand on Serana's cheek down to the woman's chin.

Khara chuckled as she brought Serana closer. "Come here then." Her voice was low, but that smile on Serana's lips told Khara that the woman had heard her words and understood them. Their lips met once more, but the kiss wasn't rushed or filled with eagerness of what could come after it, no. It was sweet, caring and loving. It was filled with passion, warmth, devotion, loyalty and admiration. It was the most sensual kiss either had ever given or received. It held a promise that neither needed to say out loud because they already knew it, they knew what it meant.

Their kiss slowed down even more before Serana showered her wolf's face with kisses as she moved over to Khara's neck. She gently let her fangs sink into her wolf. Her whole body melted into Khara's as she fed as she was now starting to feel a warmth from within her body as well as out, thanks to Khara's warmth. Khara inhaled deeply, she would be lying if she said that she didn't miss the feeling of having Serana feed on her. She ran her hands up and down the woman's back while softly humming every time Serana sucked a little harder or when she felt the woman's tongue poke out.

Serana took only what she needed to satisfy her hunger before placing a kiss over the bitemark, knowing that it would heal soon. She wiggled her body against Khara's in order to lay more comfortable and it made the wolf chuckle. "How you go from sexy to absolutely adorable just like that is beyond me."

"Aren't I both?" Serana said as she moved her nose against warm skin.

"Oh, you're it all. There are three kinds of women in this world, the cute ones, the sexy ones and then the beautiful ones. And yet somehow I have managed to get the only one who is all three." Khara said as she smiled proudly over her own words.

Serana laughed out into the wolf's neck. "Words cannot describe how I've missed your honeyed words, Khara."

"Words cannot describe how I've missed saying them to you." Khara said with a chuckle. "Veezara didn't really appreciate them as much as you do." She waited for Serana's reaction.

Serana's response was a laughter like none other and Khara had to join her. Serana placed her hand over her wolf's heart and felt how it moved under her touch as their laughter quieted down. Khara dragged her fingers over Serana's bare shoulder and back. The wolf's eyes were stuck on the roof while Serana's were unable to move from the wall that she was looking at, both of them however still had smiles playing on their lips. They were comfortable with each other, even if they just laid in silence.

"Are you hungry? We could order some food, or you could feed, it's up to you." Serana asked after a little while.

"I'm good actually. Me and Veezara bought a lot of food when we were in Rorikstead-" She placed a kiss on Serana's forehead. "But thank you." She whispered.

Serana hummed as she felt Khara give her a little squeeze. "How is he?"

"Who, Veezara?" Khara asked, when she felt a nod against her chest she continued. "He is kind and wise, not really what I expected from an assassin." Khara answered as she thought of the argonian. "What about Gabriella and S'aura, they good?"

"It would seem so. I spent a few hours with them working on a few potions and such, Rune too." Serana said as she smiled at the memory, she did have a good time with the two dunmer and the thief after all.

Khara smiled as she heard Rune's name. "He had your back I take it?"

"Yeah, he did. You know-" Serana moved her head a little so that she could look at Khara. "I'm beginning to see why you like the Guild so much, they're wonderful people."

"They take care of their own." Khara agreed with a nod. "And since you're in on this as well, then you're a part of our little, cozy family too."

"I think I would become a part of it at some point." Serana said with a clever smile.

"Yeah?" Khara asked with a small smile. _This should be good_.

"Yeah." Serana said as her smile turned into a smirk. "I mean, I'm in good with the Guild Master so…Just a matter of time really."

Khara snorted as she flipped them over. "Aren't I the dork of this relationship?" She asked before she assaulted Serana's neck and growled playfully as she placed kiss after kiss on cool skin. Serana only smiled as she turned her head for Khara to have more space to work on. When she was done with her little attack and about to roll back to the side of the bed, two arms held her in place. "No." Serana mumbled.

"You want to sleep like this?" Khara asked with a smile. Serana didn't say a word, she only nodded as she hugged Khara closer. "Okey." Khara said as she placed a few more kisses on Serana's neck. "Zu'u lokal hi." She whispered as she was about to fall asleep.

"Zu'u lokal hi ol pruzah." Serana whispered back in a voice dripping with sleep.

The words made Khara smile like never before. It would seem that Serana had been doing some research of Dovahzul, and it only made Khara's feeling for the woman increase. The wolf should probably be a little worried, because she had been falling for such a long time now and something told her that she would continue to do so for a very long time still, or for however long eternity was anyways. But then again, the wolf really didn't mind, falling for Serana was the best kind of falling Khara had ever experienced.

* * *

"So this, this _Gourmet_ is the one who will prepare the food for the Emperor?" Astrid asked as she paced back and forth in the room.

"It would seem so, Sister." Veezara said from where he sat. He had informed everyone within the sanctuary of what he and Khara had learned from Commander Maro. Everyone except Arnbjorn, were there now, listening to the next part of their plan. Serana and Khara had just joined them about an hour ago. "And not just any gourmet, _The_ Gourmet apparently."

"Wait, _The_ Gourmet? As in _The_ Bloody Gourmet, Veezara?" Eryan asked with wide eyes.

"By _Sithis_ …-" Veezara whispered as he facepalmed while Ivara patted his shoulder. "Yes, Eryan, _The_ Gourmet."

"Hah! Now we're talking!" Eryan cheered as he lifted a fist in the air.

"Care to share, Brother?" Nazir asked as he tried to calm Astrid down, the damn woman was refusing to sit down.

"Wait, woah. Hold on for a moment. None of you know about The Gourmet?" Everyone shook their head at the man. "The Gourmet is _the_ best chef in all of Tamriel, his work is legendary." The vampire explained as he suddenly left the room in a hurry. No one commented on it though as it seemed like the man did that very often, but always for a reason.

"So…We will have to take on this Gourmet's identity in order to get inside the castle…" Gabriella said as she looked as she was deep in thoughts.

"But how will we get the poison to the guards?" S'aura asked, suddenly worried that their wonderful potion wouldn't make it to their targets. "You just said that he is the Emperor's chef after all, not the guard's."

"We can say that we are trying out a new recipe for the Emperor, but that we need someone to test it? Could that work?" Ivara asked from where she sat next to her fellow Shadowscales.

"Sounds convincing to me." Sapphire said as she shrugged her shoulders, others nodded their heads in agreement too.

"There is one major flaw in this plan…Who is actually this Gourmet and more importantly, where is he? If it is a he, that is. Because we don't know." Khara sighed before speaking again. "Commander Maro only told us that the Gourmet is a personal friend of the Emperor, which means that the personal guard of the Emperor have most likely seen the Gourmet before. It also means that we need to know how to navigate through the castle, since the Gourmet have been there before, without looking suspicious."

"I think I might have something that could help with that." Eryan said as he entered the room again with a book in his hands this time around. "Where is…-" He mumbled to himself as he flipped over a few pages before he found what he was looking for. "There we go." He said with a proud smile. He placed the book on the table in front of Khara and pointed to a sentence.

"To my dear friend Anton." Khara read out loud for all to hear.

Eryan nodded his head as he placed one hand on Khara's chair and the other on Delvin's as he stood between the two. "Anton Virane is his full name." He said as his eyes scanned the other people in the room.

"Who is he?" Festus asked in his old, hoarse voice.

"He is the master chef within Understone Keep." Eryan explained.

Nazir laughed happily at this new information. "And thus within our reach!" He said with a cheerful voice. "Well done, Eryan. Tell us, how did you get the book?"

"Oh, I convinced a maid to give it to Babette the last time we sneaked around in the Keep. I've always been a fan of his work so, yeah." Eryan said as he finally sat down. Babette walked over to him with a proud smile on her face and Eryan grabbed the un-child and placed her on his lap. "I mean, who could say no to this?" He said as he pointed to Babette who flashed her most charming smile. It made the others in the room chuckle as they could clearly see her fangs.

"Well done indeed." Astrid said amused as she had now sat down as well. "Now, who would like to have a little chat with Anton Virane?" She asked.

Serana and Khara's eyes met and both already knew what the other were thinking about. "I can feel a full moon closing in, my spirit is restless so, I wouldn't mind." Khara said to Astrid, but she didn't let her eyes meet with the woman. _Make it sound convincing._ Khara said to Serana through her mind.

"I too wouldn't mind getting some fresh air, or fresh blood for that matter." _Like that?_ Serana answered.

"Didn't the blood potion satisfy your hunger?" Babette asked. _Erm…Something about your age!_ Khara really wanted to have Serana with her on this one.

"No, my age requires me to have a little more I'm afraid." _I would fall for that._ Khara had to agree, so would she.

"That's odd, how old are you again?" Eryan asked, one blood potion was always enough to keep himself and Babette fed for a day or two. _Oh, this should be good._ Khara's amused voice echoed in Serana's mind.

"Four-thousand and two-hundred." Serana said as it was the most natural thing in the world. "Give or take a few centuries." She added as she waved a hand around.

Khara chuckled as she looked around the table. Nazir and Delvin choked on their drinks, Rune almost fell out of his chair, Sapphire's eyes went wide and the Shadowscales froze in their seats. Khara saw that the two dunmer women's mouths hang open, Festus looked confused, Astrid held a hand over her mouth, while Eryan and Babette looked at Serana like she was something to be worshipped, something that Khara would have agreed to. And Cicero just continued whatever he was doing like nothing had happen, Khara was sure that whatever was going on in that man's head was even more crazier than a _very_ old vampire.

" _Woah_ …" Babette said with a wicked smile now on her face. "You're a Royal, Serana?"

"Yes, I am." Serana said to her fellow vampires.

"Well that explains it, not a chance that a normal one would be able to stay alive for that long." Eryan said with a grin.

"Now that we have that out of the way, how about we get down to business?" Festus asked, still a little shocked, as he looked over to Khara and Serana. "Get the needed information from Virane and get out of there, it's that simple."

"And what do we do with Virane after we have what we need?" Khara asked, but she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"We just need the man to be quiet, if you choose to do so with a blade _or_ a spell then that is up to you. Just make sure that whatever you choose, the man keeps his mouth shut." Festus said as he now looked at some papers in his hands.

Khara rose and eyebrow and looked over to Astrid. Astrid saw Khara's silent question and nodded. "Anton's role in this is only to give us information so, please, whatever works for you."

"Alright." Khara said as she looked over at Serana. She placed her hands on the table before she patted it once. "We'll be on our way then." And with that she rose from her seat, Serana only a second behind. She moved over to Delvin's seat and bent down a little so that she could whisper to the man. "When all this is done I might need your help moving a few things to that fort you found a little while back."

"Sure thing, I take it you will fill me in with the details when the time comes too?" He said with a small smile as he looked up at his Guild Master, it always was a pleasure to do work for Khara after all, it always payed the bills.

"Of course, now-" She looked over at Rune and Sapphire before looking back at Delvin again. "You keep em' safe, yeah? Stay out of trouble and such?"

"Always do, boss." He said with a nod.

She stood up and patted his shoulder. "Good man."

She looked over the table and the people sitting at it. "Shouldn't take more than a day or so, but when we have what we need and hopefully know here to find the Gourmet. Do you want us to come back here or can we go straight for the Gourmet?" Khara asked. "It would probably save us some time and all."

Astrid looked at her and nodded. "Do that and if possible, get the Gourmet back here alive." Astrid said as she looked around the table as well. "If one of us have to disguise themselves as the Gourmet then we will need to know what he or she looks like, how they talk, walk, and how they operate within a kitchen." Astrid then looked down. "Let's just pray to the Dread-Father that one of us looks like the Gourmet, because magic and clothes can only do so much. While you are out, we will go over the guard's schedules and such."

Khara and Serana nodded before they left the room and then the sanctuary. As the Black Door closed itself behind them it whispered in that cold, spine crawling voice. " _Happy hunting_."

Serana and Khara looked back as they walked to their horses and both frowned. "That thing have to be one of the most creepiest things I've ever seen or heard, it gives me the chills."

Serana nodded her head in agreement. "You and me both."

Khara then released a small laugh. "Says the vampire and the hybrid, aren't we supposed to be the scary ones?"

Serana released a little chuckle over those words. "I think you're right, we must be doing a lousy job if that's the case."

"Eh…We'll work on it." Khara said with an amused voice as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you worry about leaving the others in there?" Serana asked as they got on their horses.

"Not really. That trip with Veezara really helped. Now I don't trust Astrid, but I think I trust him." Khara said as they got out on the road. "And besides, Delvin, Sapphire and Rune are skilled in combat, they won't go down quietly."

Serana nodded as they moved further away from their friends. "Besides from them and Brynjolf, can you tell me some more about the other Guild members?"

Khara turned her head and looked at Serana. "Of course." She said with a huge smile. "Vex is also one of the high-ranking members, she is normally the one Delvin does jobs with as they work extremely well together. She is actually the one that thought me how to use a picklock."

"She must be quite good then." Serana said. She knew how good Khara was so that only meant Vex's skill was around the same level, maybe even better.

"Probably one of the best in Skyrim." Khara said with a nod. "The woman that's always by the little pond we have by the bar is Tonilla, she's the Guild's fence in Riften. Cynric, Niruin, Garthar, Ravyn and Etienne are just normal members and I really don't know a whole lot about them. They do all the normal jobs for us and do tasks around the Guild. Thrynn is also just a normal member, but I quite like the man. I'm going to discuss with the others about making him a high-ranking member as well when the time is right."

"Have I met him?" Serana asked, she didn't know that name.

"He was the first one to yell when we entered the dining area after I got stabbed." Khara said and when she saw that look of shame on Serana's face she continued. "Still, that was not your fault."

"I know, I know. It's just…It's still bothers me." Serana said as she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows.

"First, it's adorable when you do that." Khara said as she pointed to Serana, making the woman's face turn to it's normal, beautiful state. "Secondly, the past is called-" Khara said but was interrupted.

"Is called the past for a reason, so I've heard." Serana said a little amused.

"I'm surprised that you remember that." Khara said with a surprised smile on her face as she looked at Serana. _Still falling_. She said to herself and it made her aspects chuckle.

"Well, I've said it once before and I'll say it again, I always listen to when you speak." Serana said back with a smile as she locked eyes with Khara, she sent the wolf a flirtatious wink before turning her head back to the road.

Khara let the silence dance around them for a little while before she spoke again. "Do you think we can use vampire's seduction on Anton?" Khara was still looking at Serana.

"We will have to wait and see." Serana said as she turned her head back to Khara. When she saw that Khara hadn't stopped looking at her she flashed her wolf with a special smile, reserved for Khara only and it made the wolf blush. "If I cast it on him and it lasts for over an hour then we're good." Serana said, eyes still on her wolf.

Khara swallowed before opening her mouth. "We can spend that hour with Anton in the tavern then, get some food and relax a little before we can head out or find another way to deal with him." She said as she finally managed to move her eyes off the woman.

Serana nodded as she turned her head back to the road as well. "Time will tell."

Khara agreed. "Time will tell."

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara:** Zu'u lokal hi. **– I love you.**

 **Serana:** Zu'u lokal hi oi pruzah. **– I love you as well.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Finally, I found the right time to show you guys why the original Dawnguard weren't a part of my story. This was something that I already had planned from before I even started the story, so I am very happy that it's finally out there. It was also fun to write Garan and Serana's conversation in this, as I want Garan to be a dear friend to Serana, someone she can count on no matter what.

Also…Did anyone see that little spark between Garan and Gabriella? I thought that they might work, since they both have that dark/mysterious vibe to them. Garan is a vampire after all and Gabriella an assassin _and_ they're both dunmer, dark elves.

I think that Garan is only around 400 years old in the Skyrim lore, but in here he is only a few centuries younger than Serana ;)

To plan this questline took some time, but boy am I happy with how it's going so far. I think I might be having too much fun with this story!

I also wanted to thank the person that pointed out ''going under the radar" sounded out of place in the story because you're right and I didn't see that, but I have changed it now :) Keep letting me know if something sound odd and shoudn't be in the story, cheers!

Have a great day ladies and gentlemen and I'll see you all in the next one, take care.

-Zep


	20. Chapter 20

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 20_

 _The Gourmet_

"So, how come you haven't become the Thane of Markarth?" Serana asked as she picked up a couple of tomatoes, some potatoes and a few cabbages along with some fresh goat meat. She placed it in the little crate that Khara was carrying.

"Some salt too." Khara said as she nodded to the stand. "And I don't really have a good reason for it, I've just had enough to do, you know? I was planning on doing some jobs here for the locals after I was done clearing out Dimhollow, but…-" Khara trailed off while she smiled at Serana. "I got distracted."

Serana chuckled as she grabbed some salts and added it to the crate. "That looks good, right?" Serana asked as she placed a hand on her hip at the same time as she tilted her head to the side.

Khara lowered her eyes and looked down at the crate that she was carrying. "Yeah, I'd say so." The wolf said with a nod, she then looked at the merchant and spoke. "Do you want coins, or can we do a trade?" Khara asked the man.

The man's eyes found blue orbs and he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever works for you, ladies. I am on the hunt for a flawless sapphire though." He said as he moved a few crates around his shop stand.

"Do we have that?" Khara said with a frown, she didn't think that they did.

"Yes actually, we do." Serana said as she reached down in her pocket. She grabbed the gem and looked down at it. Of how she had gotten it made her smile as she remembered standing in that ruin with Khara that night after they had met and rescued Falion. She walked over to the man and handed it to him. "There you go." She said as she offered the man a polite smile.

He accepted the gem and nodded his head. "That's good with me, thanks. If you ever need to buy more or want to sell, you know where to find me." He said as he continued his work on moving supplies around his shop stand. Khara nodded to him before she and Serana left the man to his business.

They walked up the streets of Markarth and were surprised over how many people were already up as it was very early in the morning. They walked up to the entrance of Understone Keep and were stopped by two guards. "Hold it there." One of them said as she gestured to the pair to stop.

"State your business." The other guard said.

Khara lifted her crate a little for the two guards to see. "We're here with an order for an Anton Virane?" Serana said as she looked at a note that she had grabbed out of her pocket. She then lowered the note and looked at the guards. "Supposed to be the head chef in the Keep it says."

"Yeah, that's right." The male guard said as he looked at his fellow guard. The woman nodded as she got closer to the crate Khara was carrying and inspected the items.

"You two don't look like food merchants…" The woman said as she continued to look. She did have a point and a good one at that. Both Khara and Serana were in their armor that was given to them by the Brotherhood. To see two food merchants, walking around in black leather armor could look a bit odd they guessed.

"Yeah, we get that a lot. We even scare off some customers by the look of our weapons too." Khara said as she turned to the side a little so that the guards could see her Blade and dagger. "But it's required I'm afraid, damn bandits will take anything these days, even if it's just a crate of vegetables or meat."

"You're right about that." The male guard said as he rested his hands on his belt and took a few steps closer to the three other women. "My brother is stationed out in Karthwasten and they get bandits or forsworn every other day or so." The man said with a nod. "Damn savages take anything they can get their filthy hands on."

"Aye, we could use some more troops out on the roads here in the Reach, that's for sure." The woman agreed. "You two can go right on ahead, I'm sure you have more orders to take care off after this one." The guards opened the doors for them and allowed the two to enter the Keep.

"Yeah, got one up in Solitude after this one." Khara said as she walked passed the guards. "Have a good shift you two." She said before she turned around and walked further into the Keep.

"That went well." Serana said as she looked behind them.

"That it did." Khara agreed. "Let's hope the rest goes without problems too." They walked further into the Keep until they were met with three stairs, all leading up to the same place by the looks of it. They took the stairs to the left as that was the only one that didn't have anyone by it. They got up and turned to the left. They could both see and smell the kitchen area. They were about to walk past a few guard dogs, but were forced to stop when one of the dogs growled at Serana. It caused the whole pack to get up and get closer. As both women didn't want people to pay them their attention, Khara looked at the dogs and released a small growl of her own, successfully silencing the dogs as they cowered away from the wolf.

Serana only smiled as they continued into the kitchen. They saw that there were a few chairs there, but only one person, a male Breton by the looks of it. Serana took a step closer to the man as she spoke. "Excuse me, but are you Anton Virane?" She asked the man.

He stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at who had just entered his kitchen uninvited. He rolled his eyes before speaking. "Yes, yes, I am Anton and for the hundredth time, I am a Breton. I was born in High Rock and _then_ I came here. I am not a Reachman. Now please, leave me to my work, the Jarl won't have it if his breakfast is late." The man said with an annoyed voice as he turned around to continue with his stew.

Serana frowned at the man before turning her head to look at Khara. The wolf only shrugged as she bent down to place the crate on the floor before walking over to the door and leaning against the doorframe with her hands on her belt. She looked around for a moment to see if anyone were on their way or if anyone was looking over at the kitchen. When all was clear she turned her head and nodded to Serana before quickly looking back out at the Keep again.

Serana turned her attention back at the man and summoned her spell. She threw it on the man and the effect was instant. He dropped his spoon and took a step back before turning around and looking at his new master for the moment. "These supplies won't do at all." Serana said as she pointed at the crate.

Anton looked down at the crate before walking over to it and kneeling down to inspect the items. "No, no these won't do at all." He said as he looked at the contents of the crate with a frown.

"You better get down to the market and get what you need before the Jarl gets angry over the lack of fresh ingredients in his stew." Serana said as she took a few steps back.

The man quickly took of his chef hat and grabbed his little bag of coins. "I need to get down to the market and get those ingredients." He said as he looked around for a moment.

"You should wear a hood and cloak, if people see that you are the great chef of the Jarl then they are sure to keep you busy with endless questions of your fine work." Serana said as she looked over at Khara for a moment. The wolf smirked back at her before looking out the door again.

"I better hide my identity if I am to purchase these items without anyone interrupting me." He said as he pulled a cloak around him and taking the hood of it over his head.

"You should wait for a few minutes though. The streets are so very crowded this time of day. It may be smart to kill some time in the tavern too." Serana said as she crossed her arms and tilted her head, it was always entertaining to play with people's minds every now and then.

"I will wait here for a few minutes, don't want to get lost in the crowded streets." He said as he sat down on a chair and waited patiently for the time to pass. "Maybe I will grab a drink or two in the tavern once I get down there." He thought out loud to himself, unaware that his thoughts were not his own for the moment.

Serana kept her eyes on the man for a little moment longer before she walked over to Khara. "All clear, let's go." She said as she walked past the wolf. They made it out of the Keep and down to the market area once more. They entered the local tavern, the Silver-Blood Inn, and waited for Anton to show up.

After a few moments of the door opening and closing, it was finally Anton's turn to enter the inn. He sat down by the bar and ordered a drink. Khara got them a room along with some food before walking over to Anton with Serana. "Follow us." Serana whispered to the man. Anton nodded and grabbed his drink before following the two into a room. Anton sat down by the table, as did Khara and Serana after Khara had placed the food on it.

"Anton?" Serana asked.

"Yes?" He responded before taking a sip of his mead.

Serana nodded to Khara. "Answer her questions." Her words came with a charming smile.

"Of course." He said with a smile and a nod. Serana looked at Khara and nodded to her wolf. It was time to find out who this Gourmet person is.

Khara looked at the man as she leaned closer over the table and rested her hands on it. " The Gourmet, Anton. Who is he and where is he?" The wolf asked as she looked at the man. Anton's brows furrowed as he closed his eyes. He moved his head a little as he let out an annoyed grunt. Khara sat up in her seat and looked over at Serana. "Is he resisting?" Khara asked.

Serana looked at the man and nodded. "He is." Serana then casted the spell again on the man. "We better be quick." She said to Khara as her eyes were locked on the chef. "Answer the question, Anton." Serana said with a sweet voice.

"The…The Gourmet? He is my friend, a dear friend. But his identity is a secret, I can't betray his trust?" Anton answered confused as he looked at the two women. Did he know them? Were they his friends too? The poor man's mind was suddenly so hard to navigate through, he couldn't even find the memories of when he walked down into this tavern.

"But he is in great danger, Anton. People are looking for him, looking for you." Serana said concerned with a face to match.

"But I can't, I told him I would take his identify with me to the grave." Anton said back, he couldn't break that promise now, could he?

"For the ones who are looking for him, that can easily be arranged. The Dark Brotherhood is after the Gourmet, after you. We don't want to see you, or your friend hurt." Khara joined in when she saw how Serana acted around the man.

"What? Now…Now hold on, let's think about this for a moment. The Dark Brotherhood is after us?" His face was filled with worry as was his voice. "I mean, surely my friend wouldn't want me to endanger my own life, right?" He said as he looked at the two women.

Khara nodded at the man. "You're absolutely right, Anton. No one wants that for their friends."

"Right, that's what I thought. His name is Balagog gro-Nolob." Anton explained. _Oh no, please be adopted or something. Just don't be an…_ "Orc, he's an orc." _Fuck._ "The Gourmet is an orc, last we wrote he said he was in that…-" Anton closed his eyes for a moment. "Nightingale Inn? No, that's not right…" He opened his eyes and looked around him, trying to remember the name of the damn place.

"Nightgate Inn?" Khara asked the man, it was a common mistake after all, many did it.

"Yes, that's it! That's where he's staying, as far as I know." He said as he pointed to Khara. "That's all I know, I swear it."

"That's good, Anton. How about you just lay down for a little bit? You look tired." Serana said as she placed a hand on the man's arm.

He nodded as he tried to suppress a yawn. "I do feel tired." He got up from his seat and walked over to one of the two beds the room had to offer and laid down. It only took the man a few seconds before he was sleeping. Khara eyed the man for a moment before turning her head back to Serana.

"It's always fun to see you do that." She said with a smile as she used her dagger to cut an apple up in some pieces. She offered Serana a piece as she brought her dagger closer to the woman, who accepted it and hummed.

"Always fun to use." Serana said as she took a bite of her sliced apple piece. She then stood up from her seat and walked over to the other free bed where she sat down. Khara had turned in her seat and looked at Serana with curious eyes. Serana looked at the wolf with that special smile again as she moved back a little, so that her back was pressed up to the stone wall and patted the space between her legs.

Khara smiled as she got up from her seat and removed her Blade and dagger off her body and placed it on the chair before accepting Serana's offer and sitting down between the woman's legs, her back to Serana's front. She leaned back and rested her head on her lover's shoulder as she felt her whole body be showered with a calmness that only Serana could offer. With two strong, yet gentle arms wrapped tightly around her, the wolf was able to fully relax for the first time since they were in the tavern in Falkreath.

Khara moved a hand and placed it over Serana's, both had their gloves removed so that their skin touched. The wolf ran her fingers over the cool skin in a loving caress. She then remembered her conversation with Serana earlier and when Anton said Nightingale Inn by mistake. She had been wondering over this for a little while now, how to tell it and how to explain that she can't tell the whole truth about it. About Khara being a Nightingale.

"There is something I have to tell you." _Just take your time, choose your words with care_. Her dragon aspect told her.

"Yeah?" Serana asked as she moved her head a little.

"A few weeks ago, when we left Riften to grab that Elder Scroll, you asked me how many titles I had." Khara said as she remembered the conversation that took place that day. "There was one title that I didn't tell you and I still can't say what it is because of an oath I took when I received it. But I want you to know, that oath is the only thing keeping me from telling you, because I want you to know, I don't want to keep things from you." Khara said before she released a small sigh. "I just wanted you to know that, so incase it gets out, you know that I wanted to tell you." Khara furrowed her brows when she repeated the words in her mind, it sounded alright, right? She just hoped that Serana would understand, she already knew that when Khara promised something, the woman would do all she could in honor to keep that promise, an oath was no different.

"Khara." Serana said as she could hear her wolf's heartbeat increase the tiniest bit. "It's fine, its alright. I won't say that I'm a little curious, but I'm fine with not knowing it. If anything, I'm glad that you told me, well sort of told me." She said with a bit of humor at the end in an effort to cheer up her wolf and by the little laugh that escaped Khara, Serana had to guess that her plan had worked. "There is something else on your mind?" Serana asked with a gentle voice.

"The Gourmet is an orc, we don't have anyone within our ranks that's an orc, I'm not sure how we're going to proceed once we get back." Khara shared her thought, it would probably help to have another mind trying to solve the same problem.

"We'll deal with it back at the sanctuary, let's just take one step at a time." Serana said as she kissed the back of Khara's head, making some of the wolf's worry disappear into thin air.

Khara hummed as she put those worries to the back of her mind, for now. "You're right."

They sat like that for about an hour, they tested if Anton was still under Serana's spell and when they found out that the chef was indeed still under the vampire's control they had told the man to forget them and continue on with his day, and that he did.

Nightgate Inn was quite the distance away and in a remote location, so they decided that maybe Odahviing could offer his wings for the two, it had been a while since they had seen the red dragon after all. They left their horses in the Markarth stables before they started to walk further away from the city and curious eyes. When they were far enough away from the city and the roads, Khara shouted his name into the skies above.

"OD AH VIING!" Her Thu'um made the ground shake and dust to fly around her. Birds and other small creatures knew to flee whenever such a sound could be heard as they knew what would come after it. Serana and Khara looked to the skies and in only a few minutes a roar answered her call, the Winged Snow Hunter had heard her and was on his way.

He spotted the two women on the ground beneath him and landed right after. "Drem yol lok, Khara, Serana. Hi laan dii viing? You need my wings, geh?" He asked as he walked closer to the two.

"Geh zeymah, we could use your speed." Khara said as she placed a hand on his scale covered snout.

"Let us fly then, fin ven los voth mu daar sul." He said as he moved to the side and lowered his body so that the two could mount him with ease. He turned back around and prepared his wings. "Kolos wah?" He asked.

"Fly towards Windhelm, zeymah. We need to get to the tavern to the west of the city." And with those words, his wings carried them up into the air. With the wind at their backs they flew faster than ever before. "I will need you to stay close, there is someone there that we have to fetch and then bring back to the Pine Forest. I want to avoid using a shout if possible." Odahviing responded with a deep hum as they continued to fly towards Nightgate Inn.

* * *

Khara and Serana both stood outside the entrance of Nightgate Inn, on each side of the entrance as they were unsure on how to proceed with their plan. They could see by all of the horses that was in the Inn's stables that there were quite a few people in there. And they didn't know if Balagog had a strong mind or not, they couldn't really risk him breaking out of the spell while in the middle of the Inn as that would only complicate things and besides, they had to keep their hood and masks down too. Khara was sure that the Innkeeper would recognize her as she had been there before, so for the moment, they were just waiting outside, hoping that something would come up.

"Maybe we could get Odahviing to cause a scene?" Serana asked.

"I guess it's worth-" Khara was interrupted by the door opening.

"Excuse me." The person said as he just walked past them and down towards the little pond that was next to the Inn.

Khara's brows shot up as she saw the man walk down the steps. She pointed to him as she looked at Serana. "That's not him, is it?" She whispered.

Serana shrugged her shoulders. "We're not that lucky, are we?" She whispered back as her eyes darted back and forth between Khara and the orc that had just walked past them.

"Let's find out if he reacts to the name." Khara walked towards the man as she looked around, they were all alone. "Balagog!" She shouted at the orc. He turned his head around and looked at the two. "Hah, yes!" Khara cheered as she started running at the orc. His eyes widened as he didn't understand why there were two women in black leather armor running at him.

Serana casted her spell on him and the orc's facial expression turned blank. Khara walked the last few steps and patted the orc on his arm. "Are you Balagog gro-Nolob, the Gourmet?" She asked. The orc looked at Serana and when she nodded to him to answer the question he did.

"Yes, I am the Gourmet and-" His eyes clenched shut as he stumbled a few steps back as his hands grabbed both sides of his head. "Get your filthy magic out of my head!" He growled.

Khara widened her eyes at the man's ability to fight off the magical effect so fast. As she was worried that others may hear him if he kept shouting, the wolf acted on instinct. She grabbed his coat and slammed her head into his, successfully disorientating him and making the orc fall to the ground. Serana casted the spell again before looking around and grabbing his arm, pulling him up. Khara grabbed his other arm and they managed to move him away from the pond and towards where Odahviing was waiting for them.

Khara brought her eyes up and saw that a little group of people, mercenaries by the looks of it, was on their way over to them, their paths would cross soon. They were still practically dragging the orc, but Serana had it covered. "Act drunk, Balagog." She whispered to the orc.

" _In the boozer, you're a loser if the dice you're shaking. You'll get hurt…"_ He mumbled out the words as he sang. They passed the mercenaries and was just about to let out sighs of relief when Balagog had other plans. " _And lose your shi-_ Get your hands off me this instance!" Serana jumped a little before casting the spell again. _"Your shirt, sit there cold and shaking…"_ He sang again.

The men that had just passed them turned around at the orc's sudden outburst and looked at the two women with skeptical eyes. "You ladies alright there?" One of the men asked as he took a step closer.

Khara smiled at him before nodding. "Yeah, it's just that this one had a little too much to drink and-" She moved her head a little further away from the orc. "He also hit his head a while ago." She said quieter this time as she pointed to a decent sized bump on the orc's forehead. "The swelling never stopped, the poor bastard has never really been the same since." Khara said as she looked at the orc with sad eyes. "But we're hanging in there, aren't we Gorlog?" She said as she smiled sadly at the orc and patted his arm. The orc only grunted in response as some saliva dripped out from his mouth, making the whole scene more believable.

"Oh, I-" He scratched the back of his head. "I hope he get's better soon. Life can be hard enough as it is, blessings of the Eight upon you." He said with a polite smile before he rejoined his friends.

Khara turned back around and put Balagog's arm over her shoulder again. She was fighting off a smile as she turned to look at Serana, who was currently doing the same. The look on Serana's face was enough for Khara to burst out laughing as she was no longer able to keep it suppressed and Serana joined in on the laughter right after.

Khara turned her head back to the road while she was still chuckling. Hearing Serana's laugh was like the richest melody played by the most talented bard for the wolf. It was the best music she had ever heard.

After a little while of dragging the orc's body, because Khara must have really hit him hard since his legs still weren't working as they should, they managed to get the orc to Odahviing who had waited for them patiently. He lowered himself fully to the ground as the women got the orc's body on the dragon.

"Let's just-" Serana removed her hood and put it on backwards on the orc. "Just incase he breaks free again. I can't imagine he would take flying on a dragon way up in the skies very good." She said as she made sure that the hood would stay. She also ripped some fabric off her cloak and used it to tie the orc to one of Odahviing's spikes.

"Good thinking." Khara said as she sneaked a quick kiss to Serana's cheek, an act that made the woman smile bashfully as she got up on the dragon. Khara then mounted the dragon as well. "All good, Odahviing, do you know the Evergreen Grove?"

"I think so, the pond by the dovah burial site?" He asked as he flew into the air.

"That's the one." Khara said with a smile as she patted the dragon on his neck.

They flew with the wind and Khara found herself closing her eyes at the feeling. She wouldn't deny it, she envied her brothers who were blessed with wings to carry them over the lands below. The freedom she felt when flying was unreal, and she could hear another set of wings move inside her mind as well. She smiled as she could see her dragon aspect fly with her in her mind. There were many times where she had woken up disappointed in the mornings when she found out that she could only fly on her own in her dreams. But it is how it is, she was just grateful that Odahviing had proved to be such a good friend along with Paarthurnax, they were her brothers and she, their sister. Her mortal body didn't count, only her soul did. And her soul was that of a dovah, a dragon and her brothers had always treated her as such.

Much to Khara's and Serana's dislike, the journey to the Pine Forest felt like it ended before it even began as they both had been lost in thoughts. They dismounted and got the orc off Odahviing before they said their goodbyes to the dragon.

The sanctuary wasn't far away now, and it only took about ten, fifteen minutes to get there as Balagog finally managed to use his legs again. Once by the Black door they answered it with the correct passphrase and was granted entrance. They walked down the stone stairs and entered the main room where some of the others already were hanging out.

She forced Balagog down on his knees and waited for Astrid to come and see who they had brought. And when she did, along with some the others, Serana and Khara shared a worried look as the wolf removed the hood of their prisoner, showing everyone his true identity.

"Oh-" Astrid covered her face with both hands as she leaned her head back. "This has to be a bad joke." She groaned with a muffled voice.

Eryan entered the room and looked at the orc. "Oh _fuck_." Eryan said as he kicked a rock in frustration.

Rune looked over at the vampire and nodded as he turned his head back to the orc. "Yeah, you can say that again." He said before releasing a small huff. Sapphire was standing next to him and she too looked to be both surprised and disappointed at the same time.

Delvin held one arm around himself as he also held a finger over his lips as he was trying to think of something clever to say. "I'm sure that one of us knows an orc that's…-" He winced over his own words before they even left his mouth. "That's willing to help us assassinate the Emperor…." His voice lost its enthusiasm with each passing word.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now." Festus said as he entered the room. "I'm sure we can solve this _minor_ problem."

"How?" Arnbjorn said with anger, he then pointed to Balagog. "Look at it, Festus." Arnbjorn waved a hand at the orc. "It's an orc, only orcs look like orcs, in case you haven't noticed." He said as he began to pace around the room.

Astrid's gaze followed the man. "Calm yourself, husband." She warned and Arnbjorn grunted before he gave Astrid a small nod.

The others in the room began to talk about how they were going to get past this. Gabriella said that maybe they could find an orc and mind control him, or perhaps use some potions on Balagog himself. Khara and Serana walked over to where Rune, Delvin and Sapphire stood and talked with them for a little while until Serana remembered something, or someone rather.

"Wait, Khara. We know an orc." Serana said with an excited voice.

Khara turned her head to look at her and slowly got who Serana was talking about. "We do-" Khara said with a nod. "But is this something we want to involve him with? He'll be risking his own life after all." Khara answered with a worried voice. "I don't feel like it's in our place, he already helped us once."

"I know, but by the sounds of the conversation behind us-" Serana gestured to the assassins. "I don't think that they have anything to offer on this one. Besides…-" Serana turned and looked at the orc. "They do look somewhat similar from what I remember."

"No, you're right, they do." Khara said as she let her eyes roam the orc's face.

"Why can't we just use that vampire spell on him?" Arnbjorn asked as he walked closer to the orc.

"Because he keeps-" Suddenly Balagog let's out a hair rising scream as he fell to his back and kicked Arnbjorn's leg, making the Nord stumble back. "Because he keeps doing that." Eryan said annoyed as he casted the spell on the orc again since he was the closest one out of all the vampires. "He's resisting our magic."

"What about her?" Arnbjorn pointed to Serana. "Aren't your spells more powerful?"

"They are, but not powerful enough." Serana said back as she looked at the orc. Arnbjorn released a small growl at that and Khara noticed. Her eyes followed the Nord as he began to pace back and forth again. Serana turned to look back at Khara again, unaware of the growl. "So, what do you think?" She asked as she looked at her wolf. "They look alike, about the same height too."

Khara was about to answer when she saw that Arnbjorn's eyes fell on Serana, his eyes filled with anger. "You know about an orc?" He growled as he took a step closer. Khara's feet moved on their own as she moved to stand in front of Serana and her Guild members. He then clenched his jaw as he paced to the sides while looking at the vampire. "And when would you share that information with us, huh?" His voice demanded an answer, fast.

"We're not sure if he-"

"You're not sure?" He spat. "And what about us?" He gestured to himself as well as his fellow assassins. "We don't get a say in this? Fucking should have known that we couldn't trust a group of thieves." He said as he spat on the ground between the two groups.

"Eh now?" Rune said with anger in his voice as he moved to stand right beside Khara. "You-" Rune pointed to Arnbjorn with his index finger before pointing to himself with his thumb. "Came to us seeking help, remember?" His words only made Arnbjorn release an even louder growl than before, one that could be heard by all.

"Arnbjorn, that's enough." Astrid said as she took a step closer to her husband.

"No, they don't belong here!" He roared as the smallest of dark mist could be seen at his feet. "I told you all from the beginning-" He pointed to his fellow members. "That we don't need anyone's help, because we're the Dark Brotherhood, we're the best at what we do." He turned back and the fist person his eyes fell on was Khara. A woman that was also a werewolf, a werewolf that wasn't a part of his pack. And yet here she was, in his home, in his territory. He growled as he locked eyes with the other werewolf.

"Get a hold of yourself, Arnbjorn." Festus told the man.

"By Sithis, why is he so mad all of a sudden?" S'aura asked with a worried voice. When ever Arnbjorn had his little mood swings, Astrid had always managed to calm the man down. This time though, this time was different.

"He failed his contract." Astrid whispered to the elf, but Arnbjorn heard it. He had been reminded of his failure, strangers where in his home, his own family didn't take his side, there was another werewolf in his territory and there was a full moon outside. The man didn't have a chance to keep his inner beast at bay.

The mist on his feet moved up his body faster than before. "Get back! He's transforming!" Festus warned everyone. And only a moment later, a huge beast stood where there once stood a man. His yellow eyes locked with orange ones as Serana had the honor of being the first person the werewolf would lay its eyes on. And without giving it more thought, he leapt towards her.

Khara quickly pushed Rune back as she moved to stand directly in front of Serana. She called upon her wolf and it answered in an instance, ready to protect its mate and friends. The claws that was aimed for Serana never made it to their target as even bigger claws gripped around Arnbjorn's wrist. His eyes locked with blue, burning ones, but if anything, it only made him more enraged. He quickly used his other hand and managed to draw blood from the white wolf in front of him.

Khara pushed him back as she took a more defensive stance, she didn't go after him, she stood her ground. The blood that dripped down from her shoulder only made her more aware as that energy that often came with combat seeped into her, giving her more strength.

Arnbjorn roared as he now ran at full speed at her, he wanted to hurt _her_ now. The blood that almost looked like it glowed from where it was dripping down that white fur only made him attack with more effort as the smell entered his senses. After all, all that bleeds can be killed. His attacks were feral, uncoordinated and impulsive, at this very moment there was no difference between him and the wolves that roamed the forest above.

Khara kept countering his attacks, she kept pushing him away. She was a Champion of Lord Hircine after all, her wolf form was big before, but with the increased power that the full moon offered, she was even bigger now. She towered over the smaller werewolf, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"Arnbjorn, stop this at once!" Astrid yelled with anger at her husband. Her fellow assassins simply watched as the two wolves kept at it. She tried to walk over to him, but Eryan stopped her right away.

"He can't hear you right now, Astrid. Let them work it out." He said as he tried to be the calm one for a change.

Serana had seen Khara's wolf form before, even at a full moon. However, that wasn't the case for the Guild members. They knew that their Guild Master was a werewolf, yes, but they had never seen the wolf, that is until now. As Sapphire looked at Khara she would have to say that the wolf looked impressive, she might even go as far as saying that it was beautiful in a way. The white fur, the black snout and the blue eyes held a wild kind of elegancy to it. Rune too had to agree with his friend, he never would have thought that _this_ is what Khara's wolf form looked like, she was magnificent, truly. And then there was Delvin, ever since he first laid eyes on the woman he knew that Khara, no matter what she did, always held some sort of beauty to her actions. And the way she was currently blocking the attacks of the other werewolf only made Delvin more sure of that thought. Every push, every move of her feet held precision and planning to it. He was sure that in Khara's mind, the fight was already over, she was just following the steps at this point.

But for Khara, this was no fight as she was only trying to keep Arnbjorn away from her friends, her _mate_. However, the way he continued to pounce at her, the way he kept growling at her, and the way he dared look at Serana, _her_ Serana made Khara feel an anger inside her as well. _He looks at mate._ Her wolf growled. _He would seek to harm her? While we are here?_ Her dragon spat as the words echoed in her mind. Her focus was now only on the other werewolf. All she could hear was the way he was breathing and the sound of his feet. All she could see was yellow, furious eyes. And all she could smell was that there was another werewolf close to her, close to Serana. It wanted to hurt Serana.

Her rage increased for every single time he tried to harm her. _He think us that weak?_ The wolf growled again. _Enough._ The wolf whispered. _Enough_. Her dragon agreed. _It is enough!_ The words howled in her mind, they bounced of every wall and came back at her even louder than before. _It is enough!_ Her blood boiled as her eyes felt like they were on fire, just like the rest of her body. She have had enough. She grabbed Arnbjorn's shoulders, her claws sinking into his flesh. She forced him down on his back as she released a low growl. She leaned close to his face before she inhaled deeply.

No sound ever created by any beast nor man, Daedra or Aedra could ever compare to the sound Khara released in that moment. The roar shook the very ground as her Thu'um escaped her, dust and small cobbles fell from the ceiling as her shout echoed throughout the sanctuary due to how it bounced back and forth between the ancient stone walls. As the sound slowly faded it was replaced with silence, there was only one thing that could be heard, and it was the heavy breathing of the white wolf.

A weak, blue aura surrounded Khara as she kept her eyes on the one beneath her. She removed her claws and took a step back as she got back up on two legs, her eyes never leaving Arnbjorn's yellow ones. They stared for a while, waiting for the other to give in. And just as expected it was the smaller wolf who broke the eye contact and therefor accepting Khara as the dominant wolf. Arnbjorn kept his gaze low as he walked backwards.

"Get out of here." Astrid spat to the wolf, Arnbjorn nodded as he retreated to his bedchambers. Khara's eyes were stuck on where his form had disappeared up some stairs. Astrid noticed this and spoke. "Is she calm?" She asked no one in particular.

Serana walked to stand in front of the white wolf, her wolf, and immediately got Khara's attention. She looked deeply into those blue, burning eyes and saw how the flames retreated while she held the wolf's gaze. "Yes, she is calm." Serana said out loud. _I can't turn back, not for a little while due to the moon and the adrenaline._ Serana heard a voice whisper in her mind. "She's stuck like this for a little while." Serana added.

"As long as she can control herself, it's not a problem." Gabriella finally spoke as she could see that her fellow members were simply standing there. She offered their guest a small smile before walking into her laboratory along with S'aura and Festus. Astrid let her eyes linger on the wolf for a little while longer before she went to have a very long talk with her husband. The Shadowscales went to the training room and Eryan, Babette and Nazir guided the terrified orc to the kitchen, hoping that something familiar to the orc may help calm him down. Sitting on the stairs with his elbows on his knees, hand supporting his face was Cicero. He was currently enjoying a sweetroll and some milk, but quickly got up as he pouted and left the room, mumbling something about the show being over too soon or something like that to himself.

Delvin walked to stand next to Serana and looked at the wolf in front of him. "She can understand us, right?" He asked Serana as he leaned slightly closer to her, all while being under the watchful eyes of the white wolf.

Khara released a small huff as she brought a hand up to give his arm a small punch. Serana smiled as she nodded. "Yes, she can understand us." She kept her eyes on Khara as she spoke. "I can write him a letter? Asking if he can come to Falkreath and then we can take it from there."

Khara looked at her for a moment as she thought about it, but in the end, she too could see that this was the best thing they could do for now. She nodded to Serana as she moved closer to the little pond that was in the room. She sat down in front of it as she tried to calm herself down, knowing that the sound of the water would help her clear her thoughts and relax a little.

"I'll go do that then." Serana said as she looked at Khara. She turned her head and offered the others a small smile before she walked over to the room sheltering the ravens. As she walked over to the room she saw that Cicero and Vah'Sur was already there.

"Everything well, Serana? Many choose not to take such, _situations_ very well." Vah'Sur asked as he looked at her. Not a lot of people reacted in positive ways after having witnessed a werewolf transform.

"Yes, everything is fine. It's not the first time I've seen werewolves." She said as she grabbed a letter, some ink and a quill. She walked over to the table where the two assassins sat and joined them. "Besides, I've seen people turn into more gruesome beasts."

"I will take your word on that." Vah'Sur said as he looked at the woman, he was sure that after all that time Serana had walked Nirn she probably had seen it all.

" _Oh!_ What about now?" Cicero suddenly shrieked as he looked at the argonian with big eyes. "No, no. What about now?" He leaned closer to the man and whispered as he wiggled his fingers in the air. " _What is sweet, sweet mother saying?_ "

"Nothing at the moment, Brother." Vah'Sur answered. How he wasn't annoyed was impressive for Serana.

"What is who saying?" She asked as she wrote her letter.

"Oh! Vah'Sur is the _Listener_!" Cicero clapped his hand as he jumped out of his seat and jumped around in circles in the room. "He gets to hear voices in his head!" He then fell to his chair again and mumbled. "If only the rest of us could be so lucky." Serana eyed the jester a with confused eyes before shrugging and continuing on her writing, deciding that having a conversation with the mad man would only result in losing some of her own sanity.

"Brother, why don't you see how our newest guest are settling in?" Vah'Sur asked.

"Oh yes! Maybe he can make poor Cicero some sweetrolls!" Cicero darted out of the room, leaving Serana and Vah'Sur alone with the ravens.

Vah'Sur leaned closer to Serana and looked down at the letter she was currently working on. "Do you think that your friend will come?" He asked as he read the words.

"I do, or I mean I would think so-" Serana said as she looked at the argonian. "When we first met him, we saved his life so…" Serana shrugged her shoulders as she went back on to writing. "One thing led to another and suddenly we were Blood-Kin to his stronghold." Serana smiled back at the fight she had that day.

"He will come then, orcs are loyal to their own." Vah'Sur said with a nod.

"I hope you're right." They shared a look. "I worry about the way he will react when we tell him what we need him to do, because we _will_ need to tell him the whole truth."

"Agreed. I am sure that if we present it to him in the correct manner he will believe us, believe you and Khara." Vah'Sur saw that Serana was done with her letter. He walked over to a cage and got a raven. Serana stood up from her seat and walked over to the argonian and gave him the letter. Hopefully their letter would be answered by the orc. They returned to their own groups after that.

Serana walked back into the main room to find only Khara in it, they we're alone. She walked over to the wolf and sat down on a fallen stone pillar. Her eyes roamed the wolf's form as she could see that Khara was currently lost in thoughts due to how her blue orbs were stuck on the water. Serana took one more look around before she got up and walked closer to Khara. She moved her hand and ran it over the side of the wolf's face. Khara closed her eyes at the feeling and let out a content sigh as she leaned slightly into the touch. The dark mist that Serana had become so familiar with was slowly creeping up the wolf's body. Serana took a step back and saw how the mist swallowed the wolf's whole form and then how it revealed the most beautiful woman her eyes had ever had the pleasure of falling upon. Their eyes locked and their mind were only occupied by thoughts of the other.

"Hey." Rune's voice grabbed their attention. "You two should rest." He said with a small nod before he pointed to their room. "There's a door in the back, room has a few beds in them. We'll keep watch and then we'll switch later, yeah?"

Khara offered the man a smile of gratitude. "Thanks, Rune." Her eyes fell on Serana again and the way she was looking at Khara made the wolf's heart skip a beat. Khara nodded for Serana to follow her into their room and then to the sleeping area. Once the door was closed the wolf turned around and was met with the most beautiful set of eyes.

Serana didn't waste anytime as she walked over to the wolf and claimed those warm lips in a deep kiss. Khara was forced to move back as their lips continued their dance, and when her feet had led her to one of the beds, she slowly sat down in it, careful not to break the kiss. Serana followed her wolf's movements and sat down in her lap. Fingers ran through hair, cheeks were touched by gentle hands, and their bodies pressed against each other as the kiss turned hungrier and more intense.

"We better stop." Khara panted out in a whisper as their lips continued to move together. That strong addictive feeling was starting to make its presence known in the pit of her stomach, and by the way Serana was breathing, she too was feeling it.

"You're right." Serana responded in a similar fashion and slowly, but surely their kiss came to a stop. They were still in the same position, their lips still touched, and their eyes were still closed. "I wish we didn't have to though." Serana whispered.

Those words made Khara smile, she placed one more kiss on cool lips before she hugged Serana closer, her lips finding the smooth skin of the woman's cheek. "Me too, but you don't deserve to be worshiped in a place like this, under these circumstances." She placed a kiss on her cheek. "When I'm with you I don't ever want it to be rushed, or to be done while someone can interrupt us. Every inch of your beautiful self deserves to be taken care of with such care and love that I'm sure that it would take hours upon hours to do so." Khara placed small, feather light kisses along her jaw. "And when I'm with you I want to have all my attention on you and you alone, Serana." Khara whispered in a sweet voice.

Serana brought a hand to a warm cheek as she looked deeply into blue, loving eyes. "Words cannot describe the way you make me feel when you talk to me like that, I love you _so_ much." She whispered as she claimed her wolf's lips again in a kiss that held so much behind it.

Khara smiled into the kiss. When they had to break it due to the need for air, they rested their foreheads against each other and got lost in the other's eyes. "Soon all of this will be over, and we can finally go home." Khara said as her arms held the woman close.

Serana closed her eyes and rested her head on her wolf's shoulder. "I can't wait." She whispered back with a knowing smile.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Odahviing:** Drem yol lok. **– Greetings.**

Hi laan dii viing? **\- You need my wings?**

Geh? – **Yes?**

 **Khara:** Geh zeymah. **– Yes brother.**

 **Odahviing:** fin ven los voth mu daar sul. **– The wind is with us this day.**

Kolos wah? **– Where to?**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Right, so now we have the Gourmet and we are closing in on giving the Emperor a little visit. Again, I'm happy with how it's going so far to be honest. I did realize something though; this questline won't last forever so I need to get creative and figure out what happens after this. I have a few ideas, but hopefully after some brainstorming, I will have a few more.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see ya all in the next one.

-Zep


	21. Chapter 21

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 21_

 _The final preparations_

"So, will you tell me what it is you need yet?" Orgrim asked Serana as they walked through the Pine Forest. They had left the town of Falkreath for about twenty minutes ago. When he had received the letter from Serana he had left the stronghold in the second he was done reading it and sent a letter back. It had taken him little over a day to get here, but he made it nonetheless.

Serana looked at him and offered him a tightlipped smile. "It really would help if we waited until we arrive to the sanctuary." Serana turned her head to look on the path that they were following. "This whole situation is very _delicate_ , to say the least. I don't think I could offer you the best explanation of it." Seeing the others and having them help explain the situation would definitely help make the whole thing more believable for the orc.

"Fair enough, but know that I still owe you and Khara everything. Without you two, I wouldn't have ever had the joy of seeing my kin again. Where ever your road takes you, if you wish it, I will follow." He looked at her and locked eyes. "I have to say though-" He said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I never thought that I would willingly walk into the lair of assassins." His own words caused him to chuckle.

Serana had to release a small laugh as well. "You'd be surprised over how different most of them are from what most expect, I was, Khara too. And thank you for keeping this to yourself, they are very secretive and protective over their home." Serana told him as they walked.

"Of course." He said with a kind smile and a small nod. "Just point me to their leader and I will shake on it. Tell me, did you and Khara find what you were looking for in that cave?" He asked as he remembered their last encounter, he was curious on how their task went.

Serana looked at him and smiled. "We did, and we got to the bottom of it too. Some other friends of ours are dealing with the remaining vampires as we speak." Serana said as she turned her head to look to the side of the road.

"Good, that's good. I've cleared out a few places myself that was crawling with some that was just…Feral." Orgrim explained as he slowly shook his head as he said that last word.

"Yes, many lose themselves to the bloodlust, especially newly turned ones." Serana answered with a nod as her eyes landed on a dear in the distance.

"Yeah? You know, I thought about becoming a Vigilant once, so that I could hunt vampires and other beasts who had lost their minds." Orgrim explained as he grabbed his axe from where it hanged from his belt.

"What stopped you?" Serana asked as her eyes left the dear in favor of looking at the orc.

"Oh, I don't know. My tribe, I guess? We weren't as strong back then, and needed warriors to protect our home. But now? Nothing's really stopping me, I just need to get to it." He said as he inspected his weapon, it would need to be sharpened again soon. He still helped his tribe whenever they needed it, but due to how well they were doing these days, Orgrim had more freedom than before and thus could spend days away from his home before he had to return.

"I might have something to offer you on that then." Serana said as she looked at his axe.

"Really now? What might that be?" He said as he gave Serana a quick look.

"My associates are reforming an old order of vampire hunters called the Dawnguard, they aren't up and running just yet, but will be soon, real soon." Serana explained.

Orgrim's eyes were filled with excitement. "I'm interested." He said eagerly.

Serana looked at him and smiled. "Okay-" She chuckled. "Once we're done with this, you could come with us to Riften? Their base is only a short walk from there. But there is one thing…" She trailed off.

"Which is?" He dragged out the words.

"They are all vampires." She told him.

"Vampires who hunts other vampires? That's-" He furrowed his brows for a moment as he waved a hand around. "What is that saying again…Fighting fire with fire?" He said with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, no that's right, but they're controlled and not like the feral ones. However, no one are supposed to know what they really are as that would probably not be taken to well by the public, at least not while the constant vampire attacks are still so fresh in mind." Serana explained to him.

"Well as long as they aren't like the ones I've met, then I'll have no problems." He answered with honesty.

"Truly?" Serana asked surprised.

Orgrim laughed at that. "I'm an orc, Serana. Most people look at me and see a beast, a wild savage. I've heard it all my life and will continue to do so till the end of my days. Plus, you are living proof that not all vampires are beasts." He said as he pointed to her with a small grin.

"I will take that compliment, thank you." Serana said with a playful smile.

Orgrim chuckled as he looked down on the road. "Good, now is it much further?" He asked her, they had been walking for a little while now and he was curious of what was to come.

"No, we're actually here." Serana said as she left the road and walked past some trees, Orgrim was quick to follow. They walked down the short, hidden path and stood before the Black Door.

"Woah." His eyes scanned the door, he had never seen anything like it, and he had seen his fair share of doors alright.

" _What is the music of life?"_ The door whispered.

"Silence, my brother." Serana responded with a quiet voice. The door opened and welcomed them into the sanctuary. They walked down all the stairs and was met with Droka'Ru.

The argonian reached out a hand for the orc to shake, and so he did. "Welcome to out humble home, Orgrim of Mor Khazgur." The argonian said in a mysterious voice as he lowered his head, eyes still locked with the orc's.

Orgrim's eyes went wide. "H-How do you know my name?" He stuttered.

"The Brotherhood _knows_ all, Orgrim." Droka'Ru continued in his strange voice, that was until Serana released a small snort. Orgrim spun around to look at the woman with a confused look which only caused Serana to laugh more. When the laughter of Droka'Ru could be heard too, the orc figured out what was happening. "I am just joking my friend." The argonian chuckled. "Serana told me and my brothers of you, you see. So, don't worry."

"It's all good, the best greeting is one who leads to laughter after all." He chuckled, he never imagined that _this_ is what an assassin was like. He already liked the argonian.

"Wise words, I take it you would like to be filled in on the details?" Droka'Ru looked at the orc.

"I would like that yes, this one-" He nodded to Serana. "Have been very secretive so far." He said as he offered Serana a grin.

"A request we all asked for and for good reason, come-" He gestured for the two to follow him. "The others are in this room and besides, you might want to sit down." Droka'Ru turned his head as he walked. "What we are about to tell you is not to be taken lightly." The argonian warned.

Orgrim cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Alright." He said mainly to himself.

* * *

Orgrim leaned back in his seat. His mind was so full of words and information that he was sure that it was going to explode soon, leaving tiny pieces of him all over the floor. What they were asking him to do was something that one would need days on to decide, he would have to talk with others, get their opinions and their views on it. He needed fresh air, to take a walk, to clear his mind. That is what he should do, but the orc rarely listened to that voice of logic.

"So, you want me to disguise myself as this, this Gourmet. Act like him and enter the castle, make stew for the soldiers and put a potion in it, and then make it out alive without anyone being suspicious?" Orgrim said as his face supported a frown.

"That's right." Khara said as she looked at him with hopeful eyes, as did everyone in the room really.

"And you believe that I am the best person for this task?" He asked as he leaned closer to the table.

Gabriella was about to answer that, but unfortunately, Cicero beat her to it. "Now we didn't say _that_! You are the _only_ person for the job." He said with a cheerful voice. When the others turned to look at him with serious faces he slid out of his seat. "Oh? Do you hear that?" He put a hand to his ear as he leaned to the side. "The ravens need watering, I will do it, don't worry!" He yelled as he ran out of the room.

"Yeah, don't erm, don't listen to him." Eryan said as he scratched the back of his head. "And to answer your question, yes, we think that you are our best shot at this, our only shot really."

"I have _one_ problem with this task." He said as he eyed the others around the table. Oh, Khara should have known that he would find this difficult, he probably was a proud follower of the Imperial Legion. To ask him to help them kill the Emperor, it was but a foolish thought to think that he would betray his loyalty to the Empire. "I don't know how to make stew." _Oh, okay then._ Khara thought.

"So, you'll do it?" Nazir asked with big eyes.

"Yes, I will help you." Orgrim said with a firm nod.

Nazir laughed out in joy as he walked over to the orc and patted his shoulder. "Excellent! Just wonderful, you my friend, just made us all _very_ happy." He said as he smiled down at the orc.

"Alright, listen. Orgrim, Nazir, Droka'Ru and Babette will work on the Gourmet disguise, you can head on out." Astrid told them, she then looked at the others at the table. "Now for the ones that will do the actual assassination. Eryan, Khara, Sapphire, Rune, Delvin and Veezara, you'll continue to go over the guard's schedules, memorize their routes and where they are stationed. You are the only ones that will be inside the city during the assassination itself, too many people would only do more harm than good."

"Agreed." Eryan said as the others nodded.

"Good. Gabriella-" Astrid looked over at the woman. "You will take S'aura, Cicero and Serana and work on that potion." Astrid told the dunmer woman as she looked at her.

"Will do." She said as she got up from her seat and left the room with the others who were assigned to her team.

"Ivara, Vah'Sur, Festus, Arnbjorn and I will work on the other contracts." She said as she nodded to the ones that were left in the room. "Let's do some fine work, people." And with that, Astrid and her team left the room.

"Right." Khara said after they had gotten the room to themselves. "Who will be the one to go in with me then?" It would probably be one of the Shadowscales or perhaps Eryan?

"That would be me." Eryan said as he walked over to Khara with the papers containing the information they needed. "Gather around people, we have a lot of work ahead of us." The others moved to sit closer, and then the real work began.

"Orgrim will be walking in through the main entrance. That however is not the case for us." Veezara placed a detailed map of the Emperor's Tower on the table. "Right here-" He pointed at the roof. "There is a window and our way inside. Khara and Eryan will use a rope to climb down into the Tower and do their business. Rune, Delvin-" He looked at the two men. "We need you two to manage the rope. There is one place where the window can be spotted from the wall-" Veezara pointed to the side on the castle. "Right here, so after Khara and Eryan is down, the rope needs to go as do you. You just need to move over to the left-" He pointed on the map again. "You can't be spotted from there. Me and Sapphire will stand down on the ground, by the windmill and signal you when there are no guards. You will then wait for Khara's signal, just a whistle, and then you get the rope back up and get them out of there as fast as possible." The argonian finished with a nod.

"How many guards are on the wall?" Rune asked.

"Twelve, however only four of those will be on the move, and they will move in pairs. We estimate a ten-minute window between each passing of the guards. Plenty of time to get you both down and up." Veezara said as he nodded to Khara and Eryan.

"How many guards are inside?" Sapphire asked as she leaned back in her seat.

"An impressive number of _twenty_." Khara said with a sigh as she raised her eyebrows. "Which is why Orgrim's part with getting the guards poisoned is vital for this to work."

"Damn, that's a lot of people in not too much space." Rune said as he leaned back. "You're probably better off leaving your blade with us on the roof." He said as he looked at Khara.

"Aye, good call." Khara agreed with a nod.

"Okey then, now let's run over the schedules a few more times and then the whole thing again. We need to remember this. Every part." Eryan said as he got comfortable in his seat, they were going to sit here for a while.

* * *

 _-One day later_

Serana entered the alchemy lab and as she did she could see Cicero sitting on top of the table, his legs dangling from where they hang over the edge as the man was quietly humming to a tune, it was the most peaceful state that Serana had ever seen the man in. "How goes the brewing, Gabriella?" She asked.

"It's going well, we're just experimenting with how long it will take for it to take full effect and how long the effect will last." Gabriella said as she carefully dropped some powdered nightshade into a bottle.

Serana was about to speak again when suddenly Cicero made a weird sound and then went completely silent. She turned around to find the man frozen, she narrowed her eyes at the man. S'aura then quickly walked over to him and flipped over an hourglass as she picked up another to examine it.

"How long was that, S'aura?" Gabriella asked her student, her eyes still stuck on her bottle.

"One hour and forty-minutes." S'aura answered as she wrote it down.

"Good, we're closing in. Time for how long it lasts, will you dear?" Gabriella said as she got some white powder into the bottle.

"Already on it." S'aura answered with a smile as she moved back to a desk to work on some ingredients.

Serana then realized what they were doing. "You're using Cicero to find out how long it lasts?" She asked with an amused tone.

S'aura looked up at the vampire with a grin. "He doesn't really have anything else to offer on this and besides, it isn't the first time Cicero have volunteered to take potions, or poisons for that matter." The elf said amused as she moved over to Cicero.

Serana nodded as she turned to look at the man, she tilted her head and wondered. "How he is still alive is a mystery to me." She said in wonder as she shook her head, making the two elves chuckle.

* * *

 _-Three days later_

"So, let's go over this again." Nazir said as he walked around the table.

Orgrim nodded and rose from his seat. "I walk up to the door as I pretend to have all the time in the world." He walked a line with his hands behind his back. "I greet the guards and show them the writ of passage."

"They question you on why you are here one day early." Nazir as asked as he looked at the orc.

"I want to try a new recipe that I think will surprise the Emperor, but I need other's opinions on it. So, how about I make you and your men some fine stew and not that boiled water the chef normally serves you." Orgrim was pretending that Nazir was a guard. The orc offered a friendly smile as he waited for the Redguard to speak.

"It's not against the rules and they accept. You're now inside, where do you go?" Nazir asked as he walked around the orc.

"I take the first to the left, then a right after that. The kitchen is then straight ahead. I walk with ease and enjoy the throne room as I pass." Orgrim said as he nodded to himself.

"Gianna is in the kitchen and is surprised that you're here already." Nazir told him.

"I calm her and let her in on my plan to test my new recipe." The orc answered.

"She wants to help you." Nazir said as he walked over to the table with all the ingredients on.

"And I gladly accept." Orgrim said as he walked over to the table.

"You're the head chef, what ingredients do you choose?" Nazir asked as he gestured for the chef to make the stew.

"Six carrots…-" Orgrim cuts the carrots up in the desired size of pieces. He then grabs some meat. "Two big chunks of horker meat." He cut slice after slice and added it to the stew. "Two cabbages, five potatoes, two garlics." He cut the ingredients. "The smallest amount of lavender." He said as he bent down a little to make sure he dropped the right amount into the stew.

"How long does it cook?" The Redguard asks him.

"Fifteen-minutes. That is when I add the tomatoes, the extra butter, pepper and salt and some apple juice and let it cook for another five-minutes." Orgrim said with a proud nod as he looked at his fine work. "I then ask Gianna to fetch some wine for the stew to give it that perfect taste. When she is out of the kitchen I add the potion."

"There is someone else in the kitchen and they see you pour it in." Nazir said as he looked at Orgrim.

"I tell them it's my secret ingredient as I send them a charming wink." The orc chuckled.

"You finish up and leave the Tower." The Redguard said.

"I thank the guard and remind him that I will expect a full report of the stew in the morning. Then I leave." Orgrim said as he looked at Nazir.

"Perfect, Orgrim. Just perfect." Nazir praised as he clapped his hands at the orc.

Eryan walked over to the stew and tasted it, he then nodded. "This is good." He said.

Nazir looked at the orc, his clothes, his pose, the way he moved and talked. "I dare say that we are looking at the perfect copy of the Gourmet." Nazir said pleased as he inspected the orc.

Arnbjorn then entered the room. "Listen." He said and grabbed everyone's attention. "The Emperor will be in Skyrim in six days." He informed them. "Report back to Astrid at the end of the day."

"Will do, Brother." Droka'Ru said to the werewolf. Arnbjorn nodded as he left the room.

Babette looked over at Orgrim and spoke. "Shall we do it again? Practice makes perfect after all." She said with a clever smile.

"Yes, let's do it a few more times." Orgrim agreed as he looked over at all the other stews that they had already made and chuckled. "At least we will be well-fed over the next days."

* * *

 _-Three days later_

Khara and Eryan's breathing was heavy as they practiced with their daggers. "They will come at us like this." Eryan explained as he took one foot closer to Khara and used his free arm to grab her wrist.

Khara nodded as she threw her dagger to her free hand and blocked Eryan's attack. She then pulled her other hand closer, taking Eryan by surprise and making him lose his balance. She placed a foot in his path and the vampire fell to the ground. Khara quickly followed him and placed her dagger right over the man's throat.

"That's it." He said as he patted her knee that was currently digging into his chest. Khara got up and offered him a hand and pulled him up. "Thanks, let's take a break, yeah?" He asked in a tired voice.

"Please, I'm about to faint from exhaustion." She let out in a shaky chuckle as she sat down in a chair. Eryan joined her and her some water as he got a blood potion out for himself. "Cheers." She said as she raised into the air before bringing it to her lips. She took a few sips before placing the cup back at the table and closing her eyes as she leaned back.

"I'm glad that I'm going to have you with me in there, you're a beast with that dagger." Eryan said as he looked at her.

Khara opened her eyes and looked at the man. "You're not so bad yourself." She said with a grin.

He smiled at her. "Can I ask a favor?" Both were still breathing heavily.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That depends, what is it?"

"When we're with the Emperor, can we use my dagger?" He asked as he showed her his elven dagger.

"Yeah, sure, but why?" She asked with curious eyes.

He shrugged his shoulder as he inspected the weapon. "To own the dagger that killed an Emperor would make a good story, don't you think?"

"I guess." Khara said. "It's no problem for me, as long as we don't play games with him." Khara said as she moved he eyes to her cup.

"No, of course. We go in, kill him and go out. That simple." Eryan said before drinking his blood potion.

Khara nodded. "That simple." She got up from her seat and nudged him with her hand. "Come now, I'll attack this time." She told him. He sighed as he got up from his seat and took a defensive stance.

* * *

- _One day later_

"Oi, boss." Delvin said as he entered the room. "Got a letter from Bryn, The Goldenclaw Company is up and running." He said as he handed his Guild Master the letter and sitting down next to her.

Her eyes scanned the letter. "He had Thrynn help set it up, yeah?"

"Aye." Delvin said as he grabbed a cup and poured some mead in it. He took a sip before quickly adding something a little stronger to it.

"What's your thoughts of the man, Delvin?" Khara asked amused as she looked at the man.

"Thrynn?" He asked and when Khara hummed he continued. "Strong, sharp, loyal, a man you can count on." He took a sip and hummed, pleased with the taste this time.

"You know what I'm about to say, aren't you?" Khara said with a small grin.

"I do and I'm right there with you, I think a promotion is in place." Delvin said with a smirk

"That it is, we'll get the others in the meeting room once we get back and do a vote." Khara said as she placed the letter on the table.

"What's this now? We're getting a new face to sit by our table?" Rune asked as he, Sapphire and Serana entered the room.

"No one ever told you that it's rude to eavesdrop, Rune?" Khara asked the man as she looked at her friends.

He only shrugged his shoulders as he sat down. "Must have missed it, sorry boss." He said with a grin. Khara only shook her head at the man with a smile on her lips.

"Orgrim is ready, the potion is ready, we know where to stand and where to move, where to look and where to enter." Sapphire told them as she sat down. "Sounds like we're ready."

Khara hummed as she played with her cup with a telekinesis spell. She then stopped what she was doing and looked at the other faces around the table. They were all looking at her, waiting for her to speak. "Two days." She told them. "In two days we will attempt an assassination on the Emperor." She nodded to herself. "Going to be dangerous, difficult, it might go without problems, might not." Her eyes roamed their faces. "Last chance to get off the wagon, people." She looked at them, waited for their response.

They were going to stand against the Emperor's bodyguards, elite soldiers that can easily end one of their lives if they make one wrong move. It wasn't guarantied that all the guards inside the Tower would eat Orgrim's stew, and they needed to be prepared for that.

"Not a chance." Sapphire said quickly.

"Same here, we're seeing this through." Rune added.

Khara nodded to them and looked over at Delvin. The man met her eyes and nodded. "With you till the end, Khara. Always have, always will." He said with a confident voice as he raised his cup to the woman.

Khara then found soft-glowing, orange eyes. Serana smiled at her and it made the wolf mirror the smile on her own lips. "We're doing this." She told her wolf.

Khara nodded as a bigger smile crept up on her. "So bloody loyal, all of you." She said with a chuckle as she shook her head. "Couldn't have asked for a better crew. When we're done and back in Riften, I'm going to drown you three in coins." She said as she pointed to the three thieves who all had smiles on their faces. She then shared a quick look with Serana and sent the woman a wink.

* * *

 _-One day later_

Most of the people were sitting in the dining hall. There was some small talking going around the table while they ate, but expect that is was mostly quiet. One day remained now, one day until all their planning would be put to the test. They were excited, worried, hopeful, doubtful, no one knew how this would end, they only knew how they hoped it would end.

There will be more guards in the city than before, more people watching out for threats and suspicious behavior. Luckily for them however, the guards would eat as the sun sets. When the potion would be in full effect it would already be dark outside, they would at least have the cover of darkness to help them on this difficult, challenging task.

Khara finished her stew rather fast and after she had cleaned up after herself, she left the room. She walked through the stone corridors and entered the main room where she sat down by the water. Her knee was bouncing as she lost herself while wandering in her mind. She didn't even realize that someone had gone up to her and was now sitting next to her. The wolf turned her head and saw the tiny form that is Babette sitting next to her.

"I met Eryan when he was twenty years old." The little vampire said in a quiet voice. "He didn't try to kill me when he saw my eyes or my fangs, instead he offered me his friendship, a roof over my head, and good company." She said as she threw a little rock into the water and saw how it created the smallest waves.

Khara turned a little so that one of her legs were lying on the fallen pillar as her other leg was hanging off it. She placed her hand in her lap as she listened closely to what the girl had to say.

"We traveled all over Cyrodiil for years, exploring and meeting all kinds of people. One day he was going to sell some items we had gotten at the market. He would only be gone for an hour or so, but when he wasn't back after two hours I went out looking for him. And I found him, in an alley, gagging on his own blood as he tried to stop the blood from flowing out of his throat. And I was _so_ scared at that moment, for he was the only thing of value in my life and he was dying." Babette said as she inhaled deeply.

Khara looked at her with sad eyes. She wondered over how Babette was before she was turned, how did she even get turned? What happened to her parents? Khara continued to look at the girl, waiting for Babette to speak and continue her story.

"I sat down with him and he pointed to my teeth. I knew right away what he was asking for and I gladly gave it to him. It took some years before he was comfortable as a vampire, but when he first got the hang of it, he was happy and even proud of what he was. He still thanks me for what I did that night, he says it at every morning of every day." Babette then turned to look at Khara. The wolf mirrored her sitting position and crossed her legs as she looked at the girl. "He is the best thing about every single day for me, _please_ , don't let him get himself killed?" Babette asked Khara.

Khara's eyes looked deeply into Babette's orange ones as she grabbed the un-child's hand and shook it. "Promise." Khara whispered. "You have to promise me something too." She said in a gentle voice.

Babette smiled as she tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"Remember to tell Eryan what you just told me before we leave tomorrow. Words like that can give a man more strength than any potion ever could." Khara said as she pointed to Babette with a smile.

"Deal." The vampire girl said happily. "I better get back, I think I saw Cicero playing with a torch near the ravens." The girl said with a frown. Khara chuckled as she nodded for Babette to go.

Khara then left the room too and walked into the room with the beds and sat down in one. Her Guild members had already told her to get some rest and Khara guessed that it could be smart due to how much she had trained with Eryan in the past few days. She sat down in one bed and leaned back against the wall, she brought one leg up and rested one arm against it. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The wolf then heard another pair of footsteps approach after some time, but this time however, she could already tell who it was without the need of opening her eyes.

The bed moved a little as the person sat right next to her on it. She felt them press their side into hers and rest their head on her shoulder. Khara smiled as she searched for their hand and when she found it she lifted it to her mouth where she placed a kiss on it before she lowered it to her own lap, fingers intertwined.

"What if I had been someone else?" Serana asked in a low voice, the smile she had on her lips could be heard.

"Would have been a little odd if anyone else sat this close to me, wouldn't it?" Khara challenged with a grin.

"I don't know, Cicero would probably do something like this." Serana told her wolf while chuckling.

Khara released a small laugh. "Yeah, he probably would." Khara ran her thumb over smooth skin. "So, I've been thinking." Khara said and Serana hummed in response. "After this we go to Riften, we stay there for a day. Celebrate with the crew, see how Goldenclaw is doing, see what we can offer the Dawnguard." Khara then looked down at their hands. "We could go and visit them too, see how things are and all." She felt Serana nod against her, so she continued. "Then we can go back to Solitude, or anywhere really, and relax for some days and _then_ we can finally go to the Throat of the World and I can finally show you that thing I've wanted to show you for a while now." Khara gave Serana's hand a small squeeze. "How does that sound?" She asked.

"Really good." Serana said in a sleepy voice.

Khara let out a silent chuckle as she slowly moved away from the woman, she guided Serana's body down on the bed and placed the woman's head in her lap. She ran her fingers through black hair and saw how Serana fell asleep within seconds. Her eyes followed the movements of her fingers as she moved them down the jawline, then back up where they disappeared between dark hair.

Khara found out that she could do this for hours without knowing how much time that had passed. She probably should get some sleep herself, but just by having Serana close like this gave the wolf all the energy she would ever need.

She was glad that they could soon leave this place. She was tired of having to keep her guard up all the time, it probably wasn't necessary, but just knowing that Astrid was close by made the wolf tense and stressed.

They had gone over the different parts on the plan so many times now that Khara was sure that she would remember it for the rest of her life, it was embedded in her mind, that was how much they had practiced over the last few days. Serana, Festus, Ivara and Droka'Ru would wait for them at the Solitude stables while she, Eryan, Veezara and the Guild members were in the city. Khara guessed that it was good to have a few more people close by if something were to go wrong. If they needed to make a quick escape, then the others would wait for a signal and get the horses ready.

Khara kept her eyes on Serana for a little while longer before she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. With the light sound of Serana's breathing, her scent and the feeling of having her close, Khara found sleep quickly.

* * *

Serana was the first of the two to wake. She kept her eyes closed as she could only hear one heartbeat close by, meaning that they still had the room to themselves, it made her smile. Her hand rested over her wolf's heart and she loved how it felt, she loved it even more when she realized that Khara had her own hand over hers. She opened her eyes and saw that Khara had moved them during the night. They were both laying now, Khara on her back and then Serana laid halfway over the wolf.

She was currently enjoying the warm skin that was Khara's neck, she moved back a little so that she could see the wolf's face. Serana's eyes roamed the side of the woman's face, there was something about seeing the wolf's face in this state, so calm, so relaxed. Serana knew that Khara was stressed and tense most of the time, she knew that her wolf didn't enjoy staying here even though the wolf tried to hide it.

Serana spread out her fingers before slowly running her hand over to the side of Khara's neck. She moved her head a little closer to Khara's as she moved her hand up along Khara's neck before cupping the wolf's cheek. She then moved closer and ran her lips against the wolf's other cheek before placing a long, light kiss on it.

"Falling…" The wolf mumbled quietly in a voice dripping with sleep.

Serana moved back the tiniest bit, her nose still touching warm skin. "What was that?" She whispered gently to the wolf.

Khara's breathing then changed. "Huh?" She mumbled sleepily while still keeping her eyes closed.

Serana smiled as she realized that Khara had talked in her sleep. "You said something about falling." Serana saw how Khara's lips formed into a grin.

"Oh yeah, I'm still falling." She said a bit more awake this time. She then moved her head to the side so that she could look at Serana, the move made it so that their noses touched.

"Still falling?" Serana asked with a soft voice as she looked into those blue eyes. She saw how the last glow of the wolf's eyes faded before the wolf spoke.

"Still falling for you." Khara whispered with a soft smile at the same time as she nudged her nose against Serana's. She felt a thumb caress her cheek while the woman who owned the hand smiled back at her.

Serana moved her hand and thumb over Khara's bottom lip, she then moved the little distance between the two and connected their lips, the kiss was slow due to the fact that they had both just woken up, but for each passing second both became more aware, more awake. Both closed their eyes at the contact, and both smiled into it. "Are you hungry?" Serana whispered once they pulled back. Khara sucked in her lips and nodded as her eyes changed, turning a little darker. "Do you want to get up and get some stew?" She asked the wolf, but she already knew what Khara wanted.

The wolf wrinkled her nose and spoke. "I've eaten so much stew over the last few days, I think I've lost my appetite for it."

Serana smiled as she placed a quick kiss on the wolf's nose before she rolled onto her back. "Have at it then." She said amused.

Her words were rewarded with a snort from Khara. "Such gracefulness." Khara said through a chuckle as she moved to hover over the woman. Khara slowly lowered her body down onto Serana's, the wolf really missed having Serana underneath her, or above her, both were fine really.

Serana's hand automatically went to the wolf's hips as she felt warm lips place loving kisses along her jaw, then down her neck. She inhaled deeply when she felt the wolf's fangs sink into her. Serana really understood why Khara had a thing for her fangs, because this felt so _incredibly_ good. Both Serana and Khara reminded themselves to let the wolf feed more often.

Khara took what she needed to satisfy her hunger and removed her fangs, but she didn't move. She nuzzled her nose against the crook of Serana's neck in inhaled deeply, she _loved_ Serana's scent. Serana chuckled as she got what Khara was doing. "Enjoying yourself, _wolf_?" Khara only hummed in response as she moved to look at Serana. A cool hand cupped her cheek and Khara moved her head a little so that she could kiss it, all while keeping their eyes locked. "Be careful today." Serana whispered.

Khara nodded as she placed one last kiss on cool lips. "Come, we should get ready, it won't be long before we leave." Khara said as she grabbed Serana's hands and helped the woman out of bed.

They moved over to their armors and got them on. Serana helped Khara with her war paint and then they got out of the bedchambers and joined the others in the dining hall. They were met with tired faces as it was still early in the morning, the sun wasn't probably even up yet.

They sat for a while, talking and making sure everyone knew what they had to do. Once that was done, they left the sanctuary. Since Khara and Serana's horses were still in Markarth, they had to share one, but that was no problem for neither women or horse. The horses of Skyrim were strong and had incredibly endurance, having two women on in full armor with weapons were no problem at all. Khara had always wanted to have a horse, a mighty steed to truly care for and such, but the ones she had bought never really stayed alive for long. Throughout her adventurous life here in Skyrim, Khara have owned an impressive number of sixteen horses.

They had all managed to die rather quickly while under the wolf's ownership. Khara remembered how they all had perished too. Four have been killed by dragons, two by giants, one drowned, one got killed by arrows as Khara did a _tactical_ retreat, two lost their lives to wolves and bears, three killed by bandits because for some odd reason the horses keep charging them, two died by falling down mountains. And then we have Khara's favorite and she still doesn't know how it happened, but she had left it in the woods while she went to clear out an old Nordic ruin and when she had returned it lied dead on the ground with a beehive on it's head. She was sure that she had some kind of horse-curse on her or something, there are even some horse breeders that refuse to sell to her.

Khara took a moment to look at their group, it was quite the sight. All were armored, except for Orgrim, with all kinds of swords and daggers on them. She saw how the Shadowscales had dual daggers on the back of their belts. Khara had to admit that was an impressive and bold fighting style as they would need to get very up close and personal with whoever were unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. Her eyes fell to Festus and his robes, she saw a few books hanging by his belt along with some potions, you could easily see that the man favored magic over physical weapons. She then looked over at Eryan who had a dagger and a sword, and it made her wonder, did the man wield both while fighting or just one? She didn't ask as she was sure she would find out by the end of the day.

She was brought back from her thoughts when Orgrim maneuvered his horse to walk next to Khara's. His eyes scanned over her face before he spoke. "War paint looks good on you, you look fierce." He pointed out. Everyone that was going to enter the city, all except from Orgrim, was wearing the same war paint as it would help with their disguise. It was extremely important that Khara especially was not to be recognized by anyone while they were in the city. No one could ever know of what the Dragonborn was about to do as many would not understand or see the reason behind it.

"Yeah? Good thing war paint is normal to wear in Skyrim or else this would look rather suspicious." She said with a smile. "I mean look at us." She said as she gestured to the others. "Dark matching armor and war paint. We don't look like a group you'd mess with." She said with a chuckle.

Orgrim agreed with a laugh of his own. "Me on the other hand…" He said as he gestured to the noble clothes he was wearing. "I look ridiculous in this."

"You are wearing the finest clothes money can buy, Orgrim. You should be proud do wear such fine clothes." Rune said with a grin.

The orc only groaned at that. "At least it's comfortable to wear." He mumbled.

* * *

"So, you are ready?" Droka'Ru asked the orc.

"Yes, I am." Orgrim said with a nod as he looked up at Solitude.

"Got the writ of passage on you?" Delvin asked.

Orgrim patted over his pocked and nodded. "All good."

"Alright then, good luck and remember, take your time, go at your own pace and everything will be fine." Eryan said as he patted the orc on his shoulder. "You got this."

"I got this." Orgrim repeated before he started walking up to the city. Khara's eyes followed the orc for as long as they were able to, all they could do now was wait.

Khara's thoughts reminded her of where the guards would stand and where they would patrol, how many was to be inside the Tower and outside. She replayed the practice fights she had with Eryan back at the sanctuary and how the Penitus Oculatus fought their fights. If the information they had gathered from Commander Maro was right, then there would be a lot of soldiers inside the Tower, way too many for Khara and Eryan alone. Khara was sure that if she was to meet them on an open field and was allowed to use all of her powers, then she could probably defeat them without too many problems, but inside such a small place, not a chance. They needed Orgrim to get the potion to the soldiers, without that the whole idea of entering the Tower would be a death sentence.

The hours dragged out and the whole group were starting to worry, that was until they could see an orc walking towards them with a very big smile on his face. He joined them on the few benches and rocks they were sitting at and shared the news. "I got the potion in the stew, no problem, but I got even better news."

"Which is?" Droka'Ru asked with a curious voice.

"I asked the guard at the entrance how many were on duty so that I knew how much stew to make for them, and he told me they were only twelve inside." Orgrim informed them.

Khara and Veezara shared a look. "Could he be lying?" Ivara asked.

"Maybe, but why would he? It's possible that Commander Maro have messed up some of the guard's schedules due to him being distracted and all." Festus told the group.

"Yeah, I'm with Festus on that one." Serana agreed. "It makes sense." She said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"In that case, our job just got a little easier. I'll still throw a detect life spell before we enter though." Khara said.

"Aye, better safe than sorry." Rune agreed.

"So, we got two hours before the effect kicks in." Sapphire told them. "How long did we manage to keep it going?" She asked.

"One hour and forty minutes." Droka'Ru reminded her. "Plenty of time to kill an old man."

"Yeah, alright. Ready to head into town?" Eryan asked.

"We are. Veezara, Sapphire, go into the Winking Skeever and buy a couple of bottles of wine or mead then walk over to the market stalls and sit down against the wall. The guards won't give it a second thought, you should be able to see both the roof and the wall from there." Khara said as she looked at the two. She then turned to look at Festus and the others. "If things go bad and we need your help, I'll use a light candle spell and send it into the air, should be easy to spot."

"Alright, we'll keep our eyes open." Ivara told her. "Go now, and finish this."

"With pleasure." Eryan told his sister. He, Khara, Delvin, Sapphire, Rune and Veezara then walked up to the city. Just as expected they were stopped by the guards watching the main gate.

"Business?" The guard asked as he looked at the group.

"Looking for bounties, we're mercenaries." Eryan told the man. "Could you point us in the right direction?" He asked as he placed his hand on his belt.

"Sure thing, there is a board at the Winking Skeever, should be plenty of work for you there." The guard said as he opened the gate for them. "Stay out of trouble."

They walked through the entrance. "Will do." Eryan said with a smirk.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Lots of time passed, lots of stew, Cicero and ravens! Don't have time to write more, I'm _way_ too excited for the next chapter, bye!

-Zep


	22. Chapter 22

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 22_

 _The Emperor's truth_

"Wait." Rune whispered as he held is hand up in the air, gesturing to the others to stop. The guards passed without knowing of who lurked in the shadows only a few feet away from them. When all was clear Rune took a moment to look around the wall before signaling to his crew. "Okey, go."

Delvin took a few steps back and threw the grappling hook up at the Tower, he pulled the rope and flinched when he saw that the hook was coming down on him. "Fuck." He hissed. He managed to catch the metal hook before it hit the stone covered ground and made any sounds. He threw it again and pulled the rope, this time it had gotten stuck. Delvin grinned as he sneaked back to the wall and to the others. "All set." He whispered.

"Eryan, you're up." Khara whispered as she threw an invisibility spell on the man. With Eryan being a vampire and having incredible strength, he practically ran up the wall. Khara then threw the same spell on Rune.

"Oh, he makes it look _so_ easy." Rune huffed quietly as he grabbed the rope and began to climb the wall. It was tough, but the man made it without too many problems.

Khara then looked at Delvin who was looking back at her. She charged up the spell again and grinned. "Ladies first." She whispered to him. He grinned back and grabbed the rope, as he did so Khara casted the spell on him too. Once all the others were on the roof, Khara turned her head and looked over to where Veezara and Sapphire were pretending on enjoying their drinks. Sapphire raised a mug for Khara to see, signaling to her that all was clear. The wolf then casted the invisibility spell on herself and moved to climb herself.

Even though she was incredibly strong, she still felt that familiar burn in her muscles as she climbed the wall. When she was almost at the top, Rune and Delvin grabbed her and pulled her up. "Cheers, lads. Now move to the left." She whispered to them all as she grabbed the rope and pulled it up to them. She removed her Ebony Blade and placed it on the roof, hidden from any views but theirs.

They all laid with their backs against the pitched roof as they didn't want anyone to spot them. After a few minutes they got the signal from Veezara. Khara was the closest to the window, she bit and pulled off one glove and pulled the other one off before grabbing a picklock from her pouch. Delvin grabbed her gloves for her as Khara rolled over to the window, got on her knees and started working on the locks while Eryan grabbed the rope and moved to the other side of the window. There were three locks, it was the _Emperor's_ Tower after all, they didn't expect any less security. She made quick work of the locks and got her gloves back on after Delvin gave them to her.

Eryan slowly opened the window as Khara casted a detect life spell. "Twelve, none are moving." She whispered.

"Fantastic." Eryan whispered pleased.

Khara moved to the side as Rune moved to lay in front of the window, he twisted the rope a few times around his arm and hand before placing both feet on either side of the window, against the carved stone frame. He let out a quick breath before nodding. "Okey, let's do it." Rune whispered.

Khara nodded as she moved a little closer to the window, she grabbed her dagger from her belt and put the blade of the weapon in her mouth, sharp end pointing out and Eryan mirrored the act before she casted a muffle and invisibility spell on the both of them. She grabbed the rope and shared a quick look with Rune before carefully lowering herself down the rope and into the room.

As she was slowly lowering herself into the room and she could see two guards already, she was in their field of view, however not a muscle was moved by neither of the two, Orgrim's stew must have made its way down their throats, and it caused Khara to grin. _Perfect_ , the word echoed in her mind.

Not a sound was made as her feet came in contact with the stone floor. She moved up against the closest wall, grabbed her dagger and scanned the room. Eryan was close to follow as only a few seconds passed before the vampire was by her side. Khara casted the detect life spell again and when she was pleased to see that all the soldiers were still standing still, she started moving towards the direction of the Emperor's chambers.

Eryan was right behind her as they slowly moved through the room they were in until they found themselves in a corridor. Along both sides were a total of four doors, two on each side, and at the end was one more, the door that they needed to enter. There were also four guards in the corridor, yet none were moving.

Khara and Eryan entered the first room on the left just as the invisibility spell faded. It was a bedroom, probably for noble guests of the Emperor. Eryan kept the door open as he could see what Khara was about to do. She casted her spell yet again and looked closely at the four silhouettes that she could see through the wall, she then moved one leg and carefully, so that it didn't make too loud a sound, kicked the wardrobe in front of her. Only one guard reacted at the sound as he moved his head the tiniest bit.

The guard didn't draw his weapon as he walked closer, he didn't know that his friends didn't have his back as he was closing in on the room with a vampire and a hybrid in it. Eryan moved to stand behind the door as Khara moved and grabbed a book before she moved over to the corner of the room where there was a mirror. She placed the book on the floor in front of it before she moved to stand behind it.

The guard moved into the room and looked around. His eyes scanned the familiar room as he had seen it many times throughout his years of service, however one thing stood out for the man. "Damn nobles, never puts things back where they belong…" The man muttered as he walked over to pick up the book. As he bent down he heard the smallest sound of a knock, his head shot up as he looked up into the mirror. With the book long forgotten he slowly got up and took the steps needed to stand directly in front of the mirror. As his ears were on the alert for the sound again and his eyes looking deeply in the mirror, he took a quick look to the side as he was wondering if his mind were playing tricks on him, because it wouldn't be the first time.

When he turned to give the mirror one last glance he managed to see two orange glowing orbs looking back at him in the reflection. He jumped before an arm grabbed his shoulder with such strength that he was sure that it would dislocate it, the arm was followed right after with a dagger finding its way into his throat. He fell to his knees as he opened his mouth, but no words ever came out. His silent screams were answered by none as he felt the dagger tear to the side now, but it didn't hurt, it just felt cold, so very cold. He could hear his own heartbeat and how it was weakening by every passing second, and that's when he realized it, he was dying. His friends, never again would they cheer together at the tavern. Never again would he see the sweet smile of his precious daughter or hear her wonderful laughter. He wouldn't feel his wife's warm loving embrace no more, or feel her soft lips against his own. His final thought faded as did his vision.

As the guard fell to his side, Khara emerged from behind the mirror, but she didn't miss the look in the man's eyes before his soul left his body. Khara shook her head before helping Eryan and grabbing the guard's legs, they lifted him up and moved him behind the bed so that he couldn't be spotted from the room's entrance. "Unfortunate bastard." Eryan muttered under his breath.

Once again Khara casted her spell, the remaining guards still hadn't moved. "Still there." She whispered.

"They must have gotten the stew then." Eryan responded in a low voice.

Khara inhaled deeply as she moved over to the door. "We're about to find out." They moved out of the room and walked with care as they eyed each guard. As they moved closer, Eryan moved his dagger so that it touched the stone wall, making a small sound. None of the guards responded to it though and it made the man smile.

While still on high alert, Khara inspected the lock. "I need a key." She whispered as she looked at the guard's belts.

"Here." Eryan grabbed the key from the guard closest to him and handed it to Khara.

The wolf carefully brought it to the lock, she then turned it to the side. She gently placed her hand on the door before she looked at Eryan. "Ready?" She asked him.

Eryan nodded as he took a stance. If the Emperor were facing the door then they would need to be fast. Khara slowly opened the door in an attempt not to create any sounds, and it worked. The door was fully opened, and they could see the room, but more importantly, they could see _him_. Sitting on a desk, writing by the looks of it, was the Emperor and he had his back to them, perfect.

Both entered the room, eyes locked on their target. Eryan handed Khara his dagger before slowly closing the door. Khara put her own dagger back on her belt as she crept ever so closer to the unaware man in front of her, dagger ready in hand. This felt, odd. Sure, they had managed to avoid most of the guards, but still, something about this seemed off because right in front of them sat the man who they were to kill, the man they had planned to kill for quite some time now. And he was just _there_ , unaware, unprotected, not knowing that right behind him was the ones that would end his life.

Khara quickly casted her more advanced spell that would silence the man and grabbed his chair with one hand, she turned the chair around in one quick motion and placed the tip of Eryan's dagger against the man's throat. Eryan ran up and grabbed his arms and held them behind the chair.

Khara looked into his eyes, his old, grey terrified eyes. She could see all the emotions he was feeling by simply looking into them. She placed the tip of the dagger over his heart now. This was difficult, so she remembered why she was here. She looked down at the man who was going to betray the people of Skyrim, the people of the whole Empire and anger entered her as those thoughts played on repeat. She grabbed the collar of his coat and brought him a little closer. "Titus Mede II, your betrayal to the Empire have just cost you your life." Khara told the man in a cold voice.

Eryan's eyes shot up to the woman before him. Khara's eyes were glowing brightly as she looked down at the old man.

"Where ever your soul ends up, I want you to know that the Dark Brotherhood was responsible for sending you to the afterlife." Khara whispered as she pushed the blade of the dagger into his flesh, into his beating heart. She found it a little strange that out of all the feelings she could see racing through the man's eyes, confusion was the one feeling that stood out the most. Tears were rolling down his eyes as something else were rolling down his legs. Khara looked down and moved back. She only frowned as she looked at the little, yellow puddle by the Emperor's feet.

Eryan took a step back too and sniffed before grimacing. "I think he shit himself too."

"He did indeed." Khara said as she covered her nose. "That seemed too easy."

"Oh, don't say that, it's bad luck." He said with a small grin as he was in no hurry to pull out and reclaim his dagger. He walked over to the window while Khara looked over at the desk to see what Titus were doing before they had entered the room. It was just some random notes by the look of it.

While she looked at the dean man, Eryan looked out the window to see if he could see Sapphire and Veezara from where he stood. "So, listen, I need to tell you something about the contract-" His eyes traveled along the streets of Solitude before they landed on the docks. His eyes widened at what he was seeing. "Erm-" He gulped. "Khara? Why is the Katariah leaving the harbor?" He asked with an uncertain voice as his eyes were stuck on the ship.

"What?" Khara asked with a confused voice as she ran over to the window to see what the man was talking about. She too almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Why are they leaving?" She asked with a worried voice. The Emperor was here after all.

Eryan then snapped out of it and ran over to the Emperor's corpse where he began ripping the old man's coat and clothes open. "Fuck, come on." He hissed. "Come on."

Khara saw how the distance between the ship and the docks increased for each passing second. "Eryan?" She asked with a worried voice. When the sound of something tearing could be heard she looked over at the man. "What are you doing?" She asked.

He continued to work on the corpse's clothes. "The Medallion of the Emperor, no matter how good these _pretenders_ are, only the Emperor wears the medallion, it's symbolic or some shit." He finally ripped through the man's shirt. " _Oh, fuck_." He whispered as he moved a hand to his mouth.

"What?" Khara asked even more worried than before. "Is it not on him?" Her eyes roamed the dead man's corpse.

"It isn't…-" Eryan ran back over to the window and to Khara and took one more look outside. "Which means that _our_ Emperor is on that ship." Eryan pointed to the Katariah, both of them looked at the ship that was slowly but surely getting further and further away. "And they are leaving."

What do they do? They can't call on any dragon, they don't have anything to help them reach the ship, they had nothing. _I don't know what to do_ , Khara said out loud in her mind, hoping that someone would answer. _You are the Archmage, are you not?_ Khara frowned at her dragon aspect's words. _How does that help the situation?_ She asked. She was not given an answer, but an idea, one that might just work. "Eryan follow me, now." She whispered and didn't even care to see if the man followed.

Down the corridor and into the room where they had entered is where they ended up, Khara let out a low whistle and then they waited. Both were looking around the room probably more than what they needed to, but seconds felt like hours. The soft sound of the window opening caught their attention an only a moment later, the rope was hanging down of them to climb. It's funny how a little adrenaline can make one climb a rope as fast as Eryan and Khara did in that moment, they were up on the roof again in record time.

"So?" Rune asked worried by the looks on their faces as he saw Khara grab her Blade.

"A fucking fake." Eryan hissed as he looked down at Sapphire and Veezara. The argonian nodded to him and Eryan secured the rope by the wall and threw it over the edge.

" _What?_ " Delvin asked with wide eyes. "Khara?"

Khara nodded as he gestured for them to climb. "We need to get to the docks, fast." She said in a stern voice. They all made it down and waved for Sapphire and Veezara to follow them. They walked over to the main gate, but Khara quickly ran up to the Winking Skeever and ripped off a bounty before catching up with her group.

She pretended to be looking at it as they calmly walked out of the city. They walked down the stone path and when they were finally out of the guard's line of sight, they ran like never before. "Delvin, stables, get em' down to the small dock." Khara panted out as they ran.

Serana could hear the heartbeat of Khara and saw in the distance that the wolf, Rune, Veezara and Sapphire was running down to the docks. She frowned before she saw that Delvin came running up to them. "Up now, we need to get down to the docks." He panted out as he looked at Serana, Festus, Droka'Ru and Ivara who was looking at him with confused eyes. He rolled his eyes as he was trying to catch his breath. "This isn't a bloody request people, _get up_." He hissed and pulled Serana with him.

Delvin and Serana were the first to make it down to the others, poor Festus old legs weren't like how they used to be, but the old man and the rest of the Shadowscales came only a few moments later. They saw Khara and Eryan untie a little boat, it was small alright, but it was big enough for all of them. "Did Orgrim leave?" Khara asked Serana.

"Yes, he is on his way back to the sanctuary." Serana said as she joined in and helped the two with the ropes.

"Good." The wolf turned to look at the others. "Get in people." She asked, no she commanded, and they did as she told them without question. She helped them on the boat as Eryan spoke.

"The real Emperor is on the Katariah, and they're gone as you can see." He got in the boat too now. Khara pushed the boat out from the dock and jumped in.

"Then why in the name of Sithis are we on this damned boat?" Festus hissed as he looked around them.

Eryan shook his head as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Khara's idea, come on now, time to show us your genius plan." He told the wolf.

Khara walked past him and sat down in the middle of the boat, she grabbed both sides with her hands and inhaled deeply, this would be exhausting, maybe even painful. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. There were no one else around, only her and the boat. She imagined how it looked like, she moved her fingers and felt the wood. She then summoned a spell with a red glow. She imagined that the whole boat was in her mind and that she was holding it in her hand. She shook her head, already feeling how draining it was going to be. She pretended to grab the ship in her mind and push it forward.

Serana's eyes shot up to look at Khara with wide eyes, if Khara was doing what Serana thought she was doing, then the wolf was going to need help, a lot of help. "Veezara, grab that paddle and use it to steer." She told the argonian as he was the one sitting in the back.

The argonian sent her a confused look but did as he was told. He grabbed the paddle and lowered the other end of it down into the water. "What now? I don't-" His words were interrupted as the boat suddenly moved forward. The others grabbed onto something as they all turned to look at Khara, who were only concentrating on her telekinesis spell and the boat.

Festus was stunned. "Incredible." He mumbled amazed as he looked at the woman in the middle of the boat.

"What is she doing?" Droka'Ru asked as he held onto the boat, they were actually moving quite fast.

Serana looked at Khara and saw how there was a red glow around both the woman's hands. "She's using telekinesis to push the boat forward." Serana then turned her head and looked at Festus. "She's going to need help." She told him.

Festus nodded at Serana before he moved to sit behind Khara on the right side. He placed his hand on her shoulder and channeled his magica to the wolf. Serana did the same on the opposite side and offered Khara all that she could.

Khara's arms were starting to shake as her mind felt like it was currently being sent back and forth by two giants with their bloody maces. It stung every other second, she had never used the spell on something as big as this before, and it was hurting like Oblivion. "Much-" She flinched. "Further?" She managed to ask in a voice dripping in pain and discomfort as her eyes were still forced shut. If she were to open them she would probably loose her grip on the boat.

"Almost there, Khara, not much more now." Veezara told her as he looked at the ship that was getting bigger by every passing moment.

Serana and Festus gave the woman all they could offer, they channeled their magica into her and hoped that it would be enough.

"The ship sails are up, how are we to get on board?" Ivara asked with a worried voice to the others.

Suddenly Khara let go of her grip on the boat and pointed a hand to in front of the Katariah and focused on an illusion spell. In iceberg almost as tall as the ship appeared out of thin air right before it. They could hear the sudden yelling by the soldiers on the deck and a moment later, the sound of the anchor falling into the water. The whole ship completely stopped a few seconds later, the sound it made by the sudden stop was loud, for a moment it seemed like the chain connecting the ship to the anchor wouldn't hold, but luckily it did.

Delvin looked with big eyes at what his Guild Master had just done, now he didn't know much a about magic, but he was sharp enough to see that _this_ was something only a master of the school would be able to cast. Eryan along with Veezara used the paddles to bring them closer to the ship.

As they were closing in, Khara bent over at where she sat and shook her head. Some blood rolled down from her nose and she was breathing heavily. After a moment she looked up and used a hand to remove the blood, her eyes were glowing so brightly at the moment, she could feel it. Eryan placed the paddle back in the boat as he kneeled down in front of Khara and patted her knee. "Well fucking done you _wonderful_ woman." He praised her with wide eyes and a huge smile. "Now one final effort, Khara. Let's finish this."

The Shadowscales moved to the side of the boat and slowly, yet gently lowered themselves into the water. "We will attack from the other side." Veezara whispered as he put his dagger between his teeth before joining his brother and sister in the water. The argonians went under the boat and prepared themselves for the fight.

"Ready yourselves, people." Festus said as he casted a detect life spell. "There's a few of them." He informed them.

Eryan, Delvin, Rune and Sapphire grabbed onto the boat and started climbing. "We'll throw the ladder down for you, old man." Eryan told Festus, surely there was some kind of ladder or rope on the side of the boat that were used in case someone was to fall over board.

Serana moved to kneel in front of Khara now. "You good?" She whispered to her wolf. Those blue eyes were trying to hide the pain behind them, but Serana already knew. "Take it easy, let the other's do most of the fighting." She told her.

Khara swallowed before nodding. They moved over to the others and started climbing up the side.

"Where did that come from?" A male voice asked.

"I have no idea, I swear it wasn't there before." Another voice answered. Sound's like they were talking about Khara's illusion spell.

They could hear a lot of footsteps on the deck, _a lot._ Eryan could see them now and also the ladder. He grabbed it and pulled it over the side, letting Festus climb up and join them.

Khara looked to her left, she saw Delvin, Rune and Sapphire looking back at her. She turned to look to the right and met the eyes of Eryan, Serana and Festus. She let out a breath as she turned to look up, she then nodded. "Three." She whispered as she readied her arms to pull her up. "Two." She could hear the others prepare themselves for the fight that would soon take place. _Here we go._ "One." She hoisted herself up at the same time as her allies.

Due to the strength behind her move, she had a second in the air before her feet would meet the wooden floor, and in that second Khara locked her eyes on her first target. They had the jump on them, the soldiers didn't know that they were there yet, hopefully she and her allies would be able to take out a few of them before they realized what was happening. She quickly grabbed her Ebony Blade and planted it deep into the soldier's shoulder, she then moved it up before cutting the side of his neck.

Khara looked to the side as Delvin knocked one guard to the floor and sending his foot down on the guard's throat, very hard and very fast, making the man create a disgusting gagging sound. Rune and Sapphire grabbed and stabbed the other guard close to Delvin. Khara turned her head to see that Eryan, Serana and Festus had managed to slay two soldiers as well. They had managed to slay five men already, they were off to a good start.

"Enemies on the deck!" A man roared as he drew his weapon as this so many others. "All men on deck!" His voice held authority and courage as he rallied his fellow soldiers to him.

"Move, to the front!" Eryan yelled to his allies. The last thing they wanted were to be stuck between the soldiers on the deck and those who would surely come up through the door at any moment to join their fellow guards. The group moved to the front as Eryan had told them and prepared themselves.

Khara stood with Serana and Festus at the back, she was drained already due to all the magica she used to get them here. She needed to hit more soldiers with her Blade as its enchantments would take their energy and life-force and feed it to Khara.

"Charge men! For the Emperor!" The same man yelled with his sword high in the air to his soldiers before they ran at them with all they had.

Serana and Festus charged up their spells, the thieves readied their swords and daggers while Eryan grabbed both his weapons too. _Looks like he uses both._ Khara thought to herself. She didn't have as much energy as she would like, but that wouldn't stop her from at least helping her allies. She inhaled deeply before shouting. "MID VUR SHAAN!" Her Thu'um created a thundering sound as new-found energy entered the others, giving them more speed with their attacks. She then raised her Blade and ran up to the thieves and Eryan and together, they ran full speed at the enemy.

Time slowed down as they ran at each other, before their weapons clashed together, the Shadowscales emerged from the other side of the ship and tackled a few of the soldiers before gripping them and pulling them to the other side, then off the boat. Khara knew what they were doing in the moment she saw it, they were going to take the soldiers with them and swim deep, they were going to drown them, a known tactic used by the Argonians of Black Marsh. And after that came the clashing, the screams of pain as wounds were created, and the smell of blood appeared.

Sapphire and Rune fought back to back as they moved around the deck, blocking, kicking, grabbing and stabbing everyone who came too close. Sapphire blocked an attack with her sword before kicking the guard back, she raised her arm, ready to hit the man with her weapon but then a fist connected with the side of her face, making her lose her balance for a moment. Rune ran at the man who had just dared hit his friend and tackled him to the floor before grabbing the man's sword arm and stabbing him in the throat. Sapphire came back to it and moved to block a sword that was on its way to introduce itself with Rune's neck. She parried and blocked each attack as she increased her speed with her sword, she fought with the man for an impressive four seconds before he failed to block her advances and finally felt a cold blade slide through his stomach, he fell to the ground only a moment later.

Eryan was just ending one man's life as he locked eyes with his next victim. Swords and daggers clashed together as they both moved with great speed, whenever Eryan tried something new, the man was already there to block it or dodge it. He was kicked back by the guard with such force that he had to admit that he was impressed by the man's strength. He raised his sword to block another attack when suddenly Delvin joined the fight. The master thief went for the guard's legs as he had studied how much the man moved his feet, slowing him down was the way to defeat him. Delvin then quickly ran over to aid Rune and Sapphire, leaving Eryan alone with the man. Now that his moves couldn't be avoided as easily, Eryan made quick work of him before turning around and seeing three guards advancing up on Serana and Festus who were sending waves of spells at them.

Serana focused on fire as Festus favored lightning spells. Together they made man after man fall to the floor, but because they had already used so much of their magica to aid Khara earlier, they both knew that they couldn't keep this up for much longer. Festus grabbed a bottle that was tied to his belt and poured its contents over the blade of his dagger before using the last of is magica to summon a Flame Atronach to protect him. Serana casted two fire runes on either side of Khara before she drew her own dagger and ran up to her wolf.

Veezara looked down at the dead corpse sinking further down into the deep before swimming up with his fellow Shadowscales, they climbed up the side of the ship and joined in on the fight as they drew all of their daggers and ran to offer aid to their friends.

Droka'Ru ran up to Eryan and fought beside his brother as they moved together against the soldiers. Veezara and Ivara ran together and caught a man, who was about to shoot Delvin, with their arms, making his arrow fly into the air instead of the thief's head. "Appreciate it." Delvin grunted as he moved to stand closer to the argonians. He then looked over and saw that the door that was leading down to the lower deck flew open. "Khara, the door!" He yelled.

Khara rolled to the side to avoid a blade and got on her knees as she looked at the door. "FUS RO DAH!" Her shout sent the men flying down the stairs, but her shout made her dizzy. Festus saw the opportunity that Khara had created and commanded his Flame Atronach to fly down the stairs, and so it did. Due to Khara's shout, the path was clear and once the Flame Atronach got to where its master wanted it, it exploded, showering the guards who laid at the bottom of the stairs with flames. Their screams sent chills down most spines as Festus grinned proudly overt his fine work.

"Kill the one with the white hair!" One man yelled as he ran at Khara. The wolf heard him coming and quickly spun around, making the man run into her blade, the move had been so quick and unexpected, he impaled himself on her blade. However, he was going to harm her, even though it would cost him his life. He felt the blade come through his back as he moved closer to the woman. He drew a dagger and managed to cut Khara on her right arm, creating quite the wound. The wolf hissed as she kicked him back and lost her grip on her Blade. The man grabbed the hilt of the Blade and tried to pull it out, but when he grabbed it he felt a presence in his mind. _You are not it's master,_ a smooth female voice whispered. His eyes widened as he felt a coldness fall over him, he tried to release his grip on the hilt, but he couldn't move his hand away. He screamed as a pain like he had never experienced before crawl under his skin, he felt the last of his warmth flow up his arm and into the Blade before he fell to the wooden floor.

Khara looked at the man with wide eyes as she held over her cut. _Damn, Mephala_ , she thought to herself. Khara moved to grab her Ebony Blade and when she grabbed the hilt she felt the flow of energy enter her body. She inhaled deeply as she was now fully feeling the adrenaline pumping throughout her body. With the cut on her arm already forgotten, Khara took a few steps to the side and joined Serana who was currently moving around the man who seemed to be in charge of the troops on the ship. Both Serana and Khara started attacking the man from two sides at the same time, he managed to block them a few times and even hit Khara and Serana with the very tip of his blade, but it only created the smallest cuts, after a little while the man started to get desperate with his swings. Khara saw what was happening to him, doubt was entering his mind and making him fight with less effort.

"I-" He panted. "I can't." He said in a low voice as his eyes roamed the deck around him. He saw how his soldiers were falling to the floor, how they were dying under his command. He fell to his knees and removed his helmet. Khara's eyes widened, she knew that face, it was Maro and he looked…Awful. He lowered his head as blood dripped down from his mouth. His body was almost as tired and beaten as his soul, he couldn't take it anymore. "I'll see you soon, Gaius." He mumbled. "Finish it." He hissed at them.

Khara and Serana shared a quick look before looking back at Maro. They didn't know what to do here but that didn't matter as a dagger were placed in the mans shoulder. "I think that's it." Eryan panted. Khara narrowed her eyes at Maro's corpse before looking around. _Woah_. There was blood everywhere, that and corpses. She was surprised, she didn't even realize that the others had managed to kill so many so fast. "Come, the Emperor's not getting away this time.

She looked over and saw the others gathered around Festus and Ivara. "Go, end this. We'll fix em' up!" Delvin shouted to her as he turned to tend the old man's wounds. Khara haven't even realized that he had gotten hurt, she had been so drained and exhausted during the whole fight that she hadn't even payed attention to whose around her as her mind had been clouded.

Khara just nodded to herself before she followed Eryan and Veezara down the stairs, her eyes glued to his back as Delvin and Serana were walking with her. They stopped for a moment to look at the burnt corpses at the bottom of the stairs. She then turned her head to see where Eryan and Veezara had walked and saw them enter a room.

Khara along with Serana and Delvin entered the room to find Veezara and Eryan there, standing on both sides of the door, weapons sheathed as they looked at the Emperor. Eryan had both hands on his belt while Veezara nodded to them as they walked into the room. Khara locked eyes with the man they had worked so hard on getting to, finally this would be over. As Khara's feet moved her closer to the man, Eryan moved a hand to stop Serana and Delvin, and they did so without question.

"When Commander Maro told me to board the Katariah I feared that all was lost." The Emperor said as he looked at his desk from where he sat behind it. He then raised his eyes and looked at the others in the room. "I am both glad and impressed that you managed to get here still." His words caused Delvin, Serana and Khara to wonder what he was talking about. The Emperor offered Khara a small smile before he looked over at Eryan. "Have you told them?" He asked the vampire. Khara stopped and furrowed her brows, she turned her head to look at Eryan, her eyes asking her question for her.

Eryan only shook his head as he looked down at his feet. "No, we haven't." He then moved his head to look at the man. "We thought it might help if it came from you." Eryan's eyes refused to meet Khara's as the wolf looked at him, confused.

"It would make it easier for all of us." Veezara joined in, making the others look at him now. "So please, if you could?" He asked as he gestured to the man with a hand.

"What are you two talking about?" Khara asked for herself, Serana and Delvin, she was not getting what was happening. Serana and Delvin both locked eyes and agreed with their eyes to watch Veezara and Eryan and let Khara do the talking as they too were getting a bad feeling from all this. "What's going on here?" The wolf asked now, her voice demanding an answer.

"They're talking about the contract, Khara." Titus Mede told her.

"We know about the contract, Amaund Motierre told us the truth behind it." Khara explained as she looked at the man. "We mind controlled him, he was forced to tell the truth." She said.

Eryan was the one to speak now. "Amaund was wiped of his memories days before you first arrived at the sanctuary. He only told you what he thought was the truth because for him it _was_ the truth. We spent weeks telling him the same story over and over again. If you tell a person something enough times, in the end, they will start to believe it." He explained. _What's going on here?_ Khara wondered, but she was curious, so she would let Titus talk, for now.

Khara took a step to the side as she payed close attention to Titus and the two assassins in the room. She then looked at him and nodded as she asked her next question. "What about the contract then?"

"Do you know the reason behind it?" Titus asked her with raised eyebrows.

Khara narrowed her eyes at the man. "You were going to hand Skyrim over to the Dominion, but-" She turned to look at Eryan with skeptical eyes. "I'm guessing you're going to tell me something else." She said as she turned to look at the Emperor again.

He smiled as he lowered his head and released a small chuckle. "I can see that Astrid used the cover story after all, I expected as much." He then locked eyes with Khara again. "She wanted to tell you the truth, you know. From the very beginning." He looked into those blue confused eyes. "I was the one who contacted the Dark Brotherhood, well not me directly. My dear friend Amaund Motierre was the one to do the ritual, but he did so under my request." The man said.

"I don't understand." She said with confused eyes.

"Then allow me to explain. I wasn't going to hand over Skyrim to the Dominion, but if I were to see another day after this one, then Skyrim would fall into the Dominion's rule either way." He said as he looked deeply into those blue eyes.

"How?" Khara asked.

"You know of Jarl Ulfric I assume?" Titus asked her.

"Of course, he's the leader of the rebellion." She said.

"That he is. Did you know that during the Great War, he was taken prisoner by the Dominion? They tortured him for years, his hatred for the Thalmor, for the Empire only grew stronger as the days passed." Titus explained as he eyed Khara carefully.

"But he escaped at the end." Khara pointed out. This was odd, why were they talking about Ulfric?

"Did he?" Titus asked as he rose his eyebrows. "Or did the Dominion let him go?" He said as he placed a hand on his desk.

"Now why would they do that? He was the son of a Jarl, he was useful to them." Khara said, surely the man could see that, everyone could see that.

"He was very useful to them-" He then pointed at her. "And he still is." His words only caused the wolf to become even more confused. "What if the Dominion let him go when they knew that his father was gone and that he would become Jarl. What if the Dominion _knew_ that Ulfric's hatred towards them and the Empire, that had failed him and his people, would light a spark that would catch on fire?"

"You're talking about the rebellion." Khara's eyes lit up when she understood what he was talking about.

"I am." He said with a nod. "They knew, Khara. They knew that Ulfric would demand what he thought was justice and so, the Rebellion was created. And thus, Skyrim became divided in two as those who ones called each other brothers were now fighting each other. No matter what side wins this civil war, when it's over the Dominion will come in finish those few who still stand."

Khara kept her thoughts to herself as she listened to what the man had to say.

Titus let the words hang in the air before he continued. "I failed Hammerfell during the Great War, but I failed my entire people the day I signed the White-Gold Concordat treaty." He let out a sigh. "I have turned the Empire into a shadow of what it used to be." He stood up from his seat and turned to look out of one of the windows. "There and then I thought I did the right thing, buying time to rebuild what remained, but…-" He shook his head at the memory. "Standing here now, looking back at it, I see that it was a mistake and a grave one at that." His voice held such emotions behind it, such shame.

"So, you're saying that the rebellion, the very _heart_ of it, was created by the Dominion itself?" Her voice was filled with confusion.

"Yes." Titus nodded.

"But why would they put so much effort into it? I mean, if it works and they do take Skyrim, what then? A new war would rise, both the Empire _and_ the Dominion suffered great losses during the Great War, they're still recovering, they don't have the numbers to fight again so soon." Khara said as she narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Skyrim, along with Cyrodiil and High Rock, were the only provinces left within the Empire with strength after the Great War." He looked at the other in the room for a moment. "The Empire is a very fragile thing, Khara. While it can do wonders and last for eons if ruled by the right Emperor, it can just as easily crumble and fall if ruled by the wrong one. If I was to allow the loss of another province while the Empire was still under my rule, then I fear that my people would give up. Rebellions would rise all over what remained of the Empire, weakening it for when the Dominion comes marching."

Realization slowly crawled upon Khara. "The Dominion wouldn't be fighting a war, there wouldn't be anyone left with enough strength to fight them." Her eyebrows shot up over her own words. "But that still doesn't explain why we are here, what is it that you want?"

"For the Empire to survive. To have a new start with a new leader." He looked deeply into Khara's blue orbs.

Eryan, while still being eyed by Delvin and Serana, slowly made his way over to Khara and placed his elven dagger on the desk in front of her. He then took a few steps back, not letting a single word escape him.

Khara looked down at the dagger and then back up at the man opposite her. "I need you to take that dagger, Khara-" He straighten his coat before continuing. "And I need you to end my life." He saw that Khara was conflicted, unsure of what to do, so he spoke again. "With that dagger and with me gone the people will think that the Dominion betrayed the treaty, betrayed the peace as they will be blamed for my death. The hatred for the Dominion will not be done in silence but out loud in the streets of every city within the Empire. The elves will be forced out of Skyrim by the people and the _whole_ people this time."

Khara looked at him with a shocked face, she understood now.

"The role of Emperor would fall on my cousin. A young man, yet wise man. Who will have people to help him, to guide him to lead and rebuild what remains of the Empire. He will see the Dominion's real face and he will not bend the knee, but rise against them. He will not repeat my mistakes, but he will look back at them and learn from them. And most importantly, with my death by the hands of another, my sins won't fall on his shoulders, and the people, Khara-"

The way he spoke was filled with such emotions, such raw power that Khara was forced to listen.

"The people will _love_ him. They will _follow_ him. Because he does not want to rule over the Empire's people, but because he wants to help them, and for that he will be _loved_. He will not follow in my footsteps, but make a whole new path to walk on as he would never betray the people as I did." One tear fell from his eyes at those words. _Betray the people as I did._ "His love and his passion for the people who _is_ the Empire, his love will make him a person to look up to. And that, that is what the Empire lacks under my rule, love, trust, honesty. He will be everything that I am not, and he will be _perfect_." He clenched his fist at that last word. "He will be what the Empire needs." The Emperor then sniffed as he let out a small laugh. "So please, let a new dawn for my people come, let their suffering see it's end and let their prayers be heard." He said.

He moved around the table to stand next to Khara. He slowly grabbed the dagger and held if for her to take with both hands. Khara took a step back as she looked at the weapon in the man's hands. Her eyes slowly traveled up and met his silent pleading eyes. "You're sure about this?" She said in a quiet voice.

Titus gave one nod as he raised the dagger a little. "Please, let my death be the spark that will light the fire in the hearts of my people." He then nodded. "I am ready for whatever awaits me." His eyes told her that it was time.

She reached out a hand to take the dagger, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze as her eyes searched his for any doubt, for any second thoughts. When the wolf saw that those things were not in his eyes, but instead filled with determination, she let the man have his final wish. She slowly pushed the dagger into his chest, right over his heart, her eyes not moving from his as she felt his soul slowly leave the man's body. As he was about to fall she moved an arm behind his back and gently lowered him to the wooden floor. In his eyes one could see his tears, but they were tears of joy, not fear.

Khara sniffed and caught a tear from her own eye as she moved a hand to close his eyes. She had never seen him before, never talked to him before this day, and never really given the man any thought before. But still, in only a little time he had earned her respect. She didn't move from where she was kneeling next to his still warm body as Eryan crouched down next to her.

"That's the truth, Khara. It is as he said, we wanted to tell you-" He then turned his head to look at Delvin and Serana. "Tell all of you, but the chance of you not believing us was a risk we couldn't afford to take, and I'm sorry for that." He looked at her for a moment longer before he got back up.

Khara then shook her head as she tried to clear her thoughts. She needed to focus. Her Guild members and allies were hurt and probably just as exhausted as she was. Even though she was still shocked from what she had just learned, she managed to get up and get on her feet. She locked eyes with Serana who was in the same state as herself. The wolf swallowed before she spoke. "Come, we better see how the others are doing."

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Woah, that was quite the conversation, eh? Looks like the reason behind the contract was a little more important and complicated than what Khara and the gang originally thought.

I am pleased with how it's going so far, I was wondering if I would manage to have room for all that just happened in just one chapter, but it worked out alright. I'm still working on a new questline to go to after this, but I'm sure I'll get an idea soon.

I wanted to thank **Cyclinity** for your kind words!

See you all in the next one!

-Zep


	23. Chapter 23

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 23_

 _A conversation long-overdue_

Serana moved over the burned corpses and walked up the stairs. Cold wind is what greeted her, that and the strong smell of blood. Her eyes roamed the deck and she continued to find bodies, it looked like a bloodbath. She didn't know how many they had killed, she stopped counting after she had reached fifteen. She was glad that the assassins were on their side though, because the ones that had fallen to their blades were missing limbs, there was even a couple of corpses that was missing their heads. She was brought out of her little sightseeing when a cold wave of wind hit her, it made her shiver as she hugged herself, words could not explain how much she was missing Khara's warmth right now. _Speaking of the wolf_. Serana turned her head to see Khara standing next to her. She looked at the woman and saw how the wolf were looking at the scene in front of them as well.

Khara's eyes were moving from one corpse to another. _They were only following orders…_ She thought to herself. Even though they had won the fight and finished the contract, Khara couldn't find it in herself to be proud of it, or happy or anything. For the first time in a long time, the wolf felt a coldness inside her that she knew was not there due to the weather. She was angry that her fellow Guild members had gotten hurt while fighting with her, she was disappointed in herself that she had allowed herself to be so distracted, so unaware of the others around her. They were there because of her after all, all the pain and discomfort they were currently feeling was because of her. _Nid, goraan gein. Keep such foolish thoughts away from your mind,_ her dragon aspect told her. _You gave them choice, they followed willingly_ , her wolf aspect reminded her.

Khara had killed an endless number of people in her life, bandits and others who tried to raise their swords against her. In the start she had counted the lives of those who had fallen to her might, but after reaching a number so high, she stopped. Because she had ended the life of many and she wasn't sure if such a thing was something to be proud of or not. Just imagine all the families the wolf had destroyed, all the people who had been affected from her actions. _One cannot think like that,_ her aspects said together. Khara gave them a little nod as her thoughts continued to reach every corner of the endless depths of her mind. Dragons, undead, bandits, beasts, vampires, werewolves, hags, just how many souls had been claimed due to her actions? She had fought so many battles and yet, none had ever looked like the one that was before her now. This hadn't been a battle at all, it had been a slaughter. She had stolen before, gotten people in jail, killed, yet none of those actions made her feel like the way she's feeling now.

"You alright?" A quiet, comforting voice asked from her side.

Khara turned her head and looked at the owner of such a wonderful voice. "Yes, I'm just…-" Khara furrowed her brows. "Just thinking is all." She settled on saying. She saw how Serana's eyes searched hers and she offered the woman a small smile. She saw all the cuts Serana had over her body, her face had a few bruises and she had a small cut from her bottom lip that went down to her throat. It hurt to see that, to see such a beautiful face covered with bruises and blood. She had tried to focus on Serana whilst fighting, trying to stay close to the woman when she had run out of her magica, but the whole thing was just a big blur. All she remembered were the screams, the sounds of weapons clashing and her own heartbeat. Khara turned her head to look over at where Veezara was kneeling down next to Festus.

"Try not to move too much, Festus." Veezara told the old man as he held a bloodied rag over the man's stomach. He had taken a sword to his lower stomach after he had done his little stunt with the Flame Atronach.

"I do as I damn please, now get me up. I'm not dying on a bloody ship." Festus said with an annoyed voice as he tried to get up on his own. Droka'Ru quickly ran over to the man and helped him up together with Veezara. "Now let's go, we need to get back home." He told his fellow assassins as he walked over to the ladder that would take him to the boat. Veezara sighed as he walked over with the old, stubborn man.

Droka'Ru moved and helped Ivara up and pulled her arm over his shoulder as she used him as support. "How is the leg, sister?" He asked as they moved over to the ladder themselves.

"It has seen better days." She told him with a small chuckle. "I am sure Gabriella and S'aura will be able to heal it." She said as she tried not to put any weight on it. When she and the other Shadowscales had tackled the soldiers and jumped into the water, the man she was pulling with her had managed to hit her with his sword right above the ankle a couple of times.

Droka'Ru looked down at the leg and flinched because it looked extremely painful. "At least the bleeding has stopped." He told her, and she only hummed in response as she tried to ignore the pain. They climbed down the rope after Veezara and Festus and got on the boat.

Rune and Sapphire helped Delvin walk over to the rope too. The man had taken so many hits to his head that he was struggling to stand straight. "That was pretty fucking stupid, you know." Sapphire said as she looked at the man. Delvin had run head on into a group of three guards in order to help her and Rune earlier, it didn't go as planned.

Delvin let out a deep chuckle. "Well, that's what friends are for right? We do stupid things for each other."

"Aye." Rune said with a grin, dried blood covering a fair amount of his face. He hadn't been hit much, just a small cut over his left eye was all. "That we do."

Khara walked over to Eryan and patted his shoulder. "You alright?" She asked.

He looked up at her and nodded. "Just drained, that was quite the fight we had." Khara offered a hand to help him up. "You? That cut looks nasty." He said after he had gotten up on his feet and pointed to her arm.

She looked at her arm and shrugged. "It's not as bad as it looks, or at least I don't think so."

Eryan laughed at that. "You don't think so? Doesn't it hurt?" He asked.

"I think the sword was poisoned or something, my whole arm just feels numb." She said as she tried to move her fingers, it didn't work so well as she only managed to wiggle them a little.

"Better let Serana have a look at it on the boat." Eryan said as he looked at Serana who was walking over to them.

"Will do." Serana answered for Khara as she placed a hand on the wolf's back. "Come now, the others are ready to leave." Eryan and Khara nodded as they made their way over to the boat.

Once they were over by the ladder Khara moved to climb it, but that numbness that she felt in her arm suddenly crawled up along her arm, then it spread out in her chest, then it came sneaking up to her head. _Oh no_. A dizziness came over her, she felt lightheaded and could see her vision getting more and more faded. "Hey, Eryan?" She mumbled with a frown.

"Yeah?" He asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder as he could see the woman was starting to sway a little where she stood.

"It was _definitely_ poisoned." And with that Khara fell backwards as she drifted out of consciousness. She would have fallen into the water, but both Eryan and Serana grabbed Khara's arms, pulling her back before she met the cold water below.

"Woah, you two got her?" Rune asked as he stood up in the boat and looked up at his Guild Master.

"Yeah, she's out cold though." Eryan said back as he moved closer to Khara and bent down a little so that he could bring the woman over his shoulder. He exhaled before slowly climbing down the ladder and Serana was right behind him. He laid the wolf down and let Serana take care for her as he moved over to the middle of the boat and grabbed a paddle alongside with Veezara. "Once on the coast, I'll run to Solitude and get a carriage for us. There is no way we're all walking there with Ivara's leg and Festus' wound." Eryan told the group.

Serana nodded and held Khara's head in her lap before she inspected the wolf's wounded arm. The wolf had been poisoned alright, but her heartbeat and breathing were still normal, and after a few minutes inspecting the wound Serana found out that it wasn't a deadly poison, something she took great joy in knowing.

"So, how's our fearless leader doing?" Rune asked as he looked at his Guild Master.

"She'll be fine, but she is also going to be out for a while due to the poison, how drained and exhausted she is isn't helping too." Serana explained as she looked out over the small waves that were slowly helping them reach the coat a little faster.

"Alright." He said with a nod before he looked at Serana. "What happened in there?" He asked. Both he and Sapphire could see that something had happened while Khara, Delvin and Serana was inside dealing with the Emperor.

"Rune, I'll tell you later-" Delvin looked over at Sapphire and spoke again. "Both of you, but for now, let's just rest. The way back is going to be long and tiring for all of us." He told them as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Rune just nodded as he moved to sit more comfortable next to Sapphire. Delvin was right after all; the way back would be very long and restless.

Serana looked back down at Khara and brought a hand to the wolf's forehead. _Not warmer than normal, that's good_. Serana had seen all kinds of poison over the years, she was sure that Khara would be fine. The wolf may have a little headache when she wakes up and may feel a little sore, but that should be it.

* * *

Serana searched the wolf's face as she sat in her seat, both arms hugging herself as she felt coldness all around her. They had been back at the sanctuary for a few hours now and they had managed to get Khara into a bed, but the wolf still hadn't woken up. Serana would have been worried, but the way Khara was starting to move more and more often in her sleep told Serana that soon those blue eyes would be seen once more.

She had offered to keep watch while the others slept, she told them that she wasn't tired and didn't need to sleep just yet, but that was a lie. She was dying to sleep, to get some rest, but she wouldn't allow herself to rest before she knew that Khara was alright.

The hours passed by and when the others had gotten up and left the room, the wolf finally started to move more than before. Serana leaned forward in her seat and placed her hand over the wolf's. "Khara." She whispered.

Khara's brows furrowed before she opened her eyes. "Oh-" She groaned as she brought her free hand to her forehead. "Gods, did someone use my head as a drum or something?" She asked, her voice hoarse and throat dry. She was confused over why her head was pounding as much as it did.

Serana smiled over hearing that voice again. "You passed out on the ship, you were poisoned from the fight." Serana explained as she gave the wolf's hand a small squeeze.

"Yeah?" Khara asked as she tried to open her eyes, but quickly closed them as the smallest light caused her pain. "We're at the sanctuary?" She asked.

"We are." Serana said with a small smile.

"The others?" The wolf asked as she tried to open her eyes again, it didn't hurt as much this time.

"Delvin, Rune and Sapphire are fine, but we lost Festus right before we passed Rorikstead." Serana told her. "His wounds were just too deep." During the whole ride back, Festus had talked, or complained. The point was that he had talked all the time and suddenly he just didn't, suddenly he was gone. Just as fast as the words had traveled out of his mouth, his soul traveled out of his body.

Khara swallowed as she looked up at the ceiling. "And Ivara?" She asked, she remembered the argonian's cut on her leg. The wolf then turned to look at Serana and once she saw the woman's face she sat up right away.

"She's alive." Serana told her. "But she isn't doing too well, she's fighting an infection. Gabriella is currently working on a powerful healing potion, so I'm sure that she'll fully recover." Serana explained as she watched the wolf.

Khara looked at her with sad eyes as she grabbed the sides of the chair with both hands and pulled it as close to her as possible. She brought a hand up to hover next to Serana's cheek as she was wondering if it was wise to touch the dark purple skin. She let her hand fall to Serana's knee before she let her eyes fall as well. She could see small cuts in the woman's armor as well as red stains. "You're still hurt." She mumbled.

"I'm fine, Khara. It's just small cuts and a few bruises." Serana told her as she placed her own hand over Khara's warm one. The wolf looked at her for a moment longer before she gave in and nodded before she leaned closer and rested her forehead against Serana's shoulder. "The others are ready, so whenever you feel like it, we'll leave." Serana said with a nod as she moved a hand to the wolf's neck.

The wolf inhaled deeply and could feel her headache leave her as a heavenly scent entered her senses. No healing potion nor spell could ever compare to the effect Serana had on the wolf, she was the best medicine. She almost couldn't wait to get back to Riften to rest, to drink with her Guild, to finally be able to shower Serana again with affection. Those thoughts were enough for Khara to ask a question. "I take it the others are in the dining hall?" She asked with a gentle voice. Serana hummed as she stroked the back of the wolf's neck. "We should go then, the faster we get done here, the faster we can get home." She said as she moved her head to the side and placed a small kiss to Serana's cheek.

Serana smiled as she patted Khara's knee, she then got up and pulled the wolf with her. Khara quickly got into her normal armor, grabbed her Ebony Blade and dagger and got out of the room with Serana. They walked through the main room and into the dining hall, everyone except Arnbjorn, Cicero, Astrid, Gabriella and Ivara was there.

Nazir was the first to spot the pair. "Look who finally decided to wake up." He said, making the others in the room look at them.

"Well, well. How's the head, boss?" Delvin asked as he took a drink from his cup.

"Like I've drank too many cups of what ever you're drinking." Khara said with a grin, she was happy to see that Delvin, Rune and Sapphire were alright. She and Serana sat down next to them and started some small talk.

Orgrim walked over to them and placed a bowl of stew in front of her. "Don't worry, it's just horker stew this time." He said with a clever smile as he gently patted her shoulder, he knew how tired Khara and all the others were of the other stew.

Khara's eyes lit up as she released something between a groan and a laugh as she quickly grabbed a spoon. "You could make it big as a chef now, Orgrim. This is divine." She praised as she ate. Her words caused her to wonder though, where was Balagog and what was to happen to him. She looked over at Nazir and spoke. "What is to happen to the Gourmet?"

Nazir looked up from his book and looked at her. "S'aura have made quite the potion, he'll forget all about us and his time here, we'll make sure of it. After that we'll drop him off at…Nightgate Inn. Was it?" He asked and Khara nodded. "We'll do that then."

"When are you leaving?" Eryan asked them from where he sat.

"Soon, I just need to have a word with Astrid." Khara responded as she looked down at her bowl. She then sighed as she realized that there was no need to wait to do so, might as well just get it over with. "I'll go do that now." She said, she got up from her seat when she had received a nod from the Guild members and Serana.

"We'll come in a second, just going to say farewell to these assassins." Delvin told her with a grin. Khara nodded and walked out the room and made way to the main room, until Eryan came sprinting after her.

"Can I have a moment?" He asked when he stood next to her. Khara looked at him and nodded. "Right, I got a feeling a we might not see each other again, or at least not for a while." He said as he guided her over to the fallen pillar and both sat down. "When Astrid first mentioned you and that you could help us with all this-" He said as he waved his hand around. "We all thought that you'd be…Different, same goes for your friends." He said.

"Different, how?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

"Come now, even the tales of the mighty Dragonborn reaches these halls." Eryan said with a grin. "We thought you were going to be this stubborn, overconfident, ignorant hero that we've all heard so much about." Eryan said as he looked to the ground. "It was pleasant to find out that you were only stubborn." That made them both chuckle. "I just wanted to tell you, for my entire family, that you and your little gang surprised us." He told her with a small smile.

"So did you to us." She said back with a smile, it was the truth after all. "Now I can't say that I've enjoyed this contract, but I have enjoyed working with you, or most of you anyways. Mainly just you and Veezara but…Yeah." She shrugged her shoulders, may as well be honest, right?

"Yeah, we're the golden boys." He said with a grin. "Everyone likes us."

Khara shook her head as she chuckled. "You know, this little family you got going here?" Khara said with a smile as she looked around the room. "You're lucky to have each other, even though you're assassins, you're pretty decent people." Khara told him.

"Thanks, I'll make sure the others hear that. I think Astrid is waiting to talk to you." He said as he nodded to the other woman who just entered the room.

"Aye." Khara said as she looked over at Astrid. "Take care, Eryan." She got up and gestured for Astrid to follow her into the room that they had been given during their stay at the sanctuary. The woman followed her, and they entered the room. Astrid closed the doors and turned around as she waited for Khara to speak. When she found out that Khara wasn't going to start, she opened her mouth.

"He told you." Astrid stated as she crossed her arms.

"He told me everything, the rebellion, the Dominion, his fall and the new Emperor's rise, he told me all of it." Khara said as she nodded. She walked to the other side of the table before she let her eyes fall on the other person in the room.

"So, you understand why I couldn't tell you the truth?" Astrid asked as her eyes were stuck on Khara.

"I do, I mean I almost didn't believe it when he told me, but…-" Khara shook her head. "But he convinced me. But still I just…" Khara inhaled. "I just wished that it was you who told me the truth, from the very beginning." Khara said as she furrowed her brows a little as she looked down.

"You know I couldn't do that, you wouldn't have believed me, Khara, we both know it."

"Maybe you're right, but I still can't shake the feeling that I've been completely fooled here, like I've been used-" Their eyes met. "Again. I know that we did the right thing here, by completing the contract, but I still feel like absolute shit." The wolf admitted.

"Those feelings will pass, Khara." Astrid tried to explain.

"Maybe it does so for you, but I don't take lives and forget about them so easily." Khara sat down in a chair and sighed. "I still see the eyes of Gaius whenever I close my eyes, I remember the way his arms and legs tried to get out of Veezara's grip, and I hear the screams and the last words of all those soldiers we killed on the Katariah who only tried to protect their leader." Khara let her eyes roam the table. "Commander Maro was on that ship too, you know. He didn't fight us for long, he fell to his knees and asked us to kill him, to reunite him with his boy. To see a man like Maro, who was so strong and proud, on his knees like that, broken. What I felt in that moment, that won't pass."

Astrid understood that Khara wanted something, she knew that something had to happen in this room on this day. "What is it that you want?"

"I want you to know that you owe me one now. That if there ever comes a time where I will be as desperate and come to you for help, then you _will_ help me, just like I've helped you. With just as much effort, Astrid." Khara said as she looked the woman straight in the eyes.

"That's fair en-"

"Promise me. I need to hear the words." The wolf interrupted with a stern look in her eyes.

Astrid looked at her for a moment. "I promise." She finally said.

"Good, then we can continue." Khara said as she thought of her next words. "Now until that day where I send you that letter asking for your aid, I don't want you or any member from your family to contact me or any of my associates, ever. And in return-"

"Khara, think-"

"And in return-" Khara held Astrid's eyes, challenging the woman to speak again. "When one of your contracts lands on someone I know, and someone I care about, then I won't come storming down here killing every single one of you. Because you know I can, I know the location, the passphrase, I know the layout of this place. And you know when that fire rages within me, that if I don't manage to kill you all, then I will at least break you all." Khara said, she knew that her eyes were a little more brighter than what they normally were now, she also knew that Astrid saw it.

"Think about this for a moment, please. Us working together could be extremely beneficial, for both sides." Astrid said as she took a step closer to the table. Just try to imagine it, the Dragonborn and the Dark Brotherhood working together, not many would stand a chance against those odds.

"I can't work with you." Khara whispered as her eyes fell to the ground, old feelings emerging within her.

"Why? Haven't we been through enough already?" Astrid pleaded with confused eyes as she placed her hands on the table.

Khara's wolf aspect growled in her mind. "That's the problem, Astrid! Too much, we've been through _so_ much." Khara placed both hands on the table as she looked down. "I trusted you with my life and thought you to be one of my friends and _still_ I ended up with a dagger in my back." She looked up and looked at Astrid who looked like she was actually a little…Sad? "You were my one true friend. Whenever I needed anything, I came to _you_." Khara said as she pointed to the other woman, her hand fell quickly though.

"I know, Khara." Astrid's voice was small and held sadness to it, she tried to hide it, but failed.

"We drank, we laughed, and we fought together, to Oblivion with it, I even admit that I liked you a bit, but it was all a bloody act." Khara placed a hand on her forehead.

"That's not true, not all of it. I enjoyed drinking with you, laughing with you, fighting and exploring with you and all those conversations we had? That wasn't Lyria talking, that was _me_." Astrid said as she tried to connect with those blue eyes.

"But I didn't know that, did I?" Khara said in a low voice. "You pretended to be someone you weren't. I trusted you will all I had and all I was." She then moved her hand and looked at Astrid, pain visible in her eyes. "When you killed that child and that father, your arrow might just have given me a small cut, but that didn't keep it away from creating a fucking deep wound." Khara felt tears in her eyes, but refused to let them fall, she remembered how she felt in that moment.

"Fuck, Khara…" Astrid whispered as she sat down and looked down at the table as she leaned over it.

Khara heard her, but kept speaking what was on her mind, on her heart. "I've fought an endless number of dragons and other monsters and I've been on the brink of death more times than I care to admit, but still _you_ were the one that hurt me the most, you messed me up good. Because even though I will trust someone with my life I can't keep those thoughts of betrayal at bay, of having them hurting me the way you did. And I _hate_ you for that." Khara told her, emotions dripping from every word that she let out. She fell down on a chair after that, this was exhausting.

"I'm sorry! Alright? I'm sorry." A sigh could be heard from her. "I don't regret doing the contract, but I do regret using you like that." Astrid said as she looked at Khara. "Those last days before the night at the balcony were awful, painful even." She huffed at her own words and shook her head, trying to calm herself down. "I accepted that contract thinking that it would be easy, that you would be just like everyone else, but you weren't. And I hate myself for getting lost in my act with you, at times you made me wish that I _was_ Lyria. And I'm not blaming you, because it's not your fault, but you weren't the only one who got hurt that day." Astrid told her and Khara could hear that the woman was struggling to keep it together.

"Then why did you act so _cold_ when you left? Why did you look so satisfied with yourself?" Khara asked. She remembers the look in the assassin's eyes, she remembers it extremely well.

"Because it was easier for me if you hated me, if you forgot me and didn't try to find me. I forgot who I was with you and I let my walls down, I didn't need to impress, or act like I knew everything and everyone, who I were was enough for you and I had never experienced that before and it was addictive." Astrid told her and Khara could hear that the woman was speaking the truth.

Silence came after that, neither spoke or searched for the other's eyes. If anything, Khara guessed that it felt a little good to have finally confronted Astrid about this. Both she and Astrid had fooled the other all that time ago, both had forgotten to keep their walls up and their masks on. The way that Astrid had spoken her words, the way that they escaped her told the wolf that there was pain behind them. Khara wasn't forgiving the woman for what she had done, and Astrid weren't asking for forgiveness. But still, something felt _different_. Was it a good kind of difference? Khara couldn't tell. She took a notice that she wasn't the only one who had ended up with a foul taste in her mouth from that night all that time ago.

Khara looked at the other woman and leaned back in her seat and brought a hand to her forehead. "At least we got one thing in common, you and I." She mumbled out in a shaky voice.

"Which is?" Astrid asked as she rose both eyebrows and looked at Khara.

"We're both idiots." Both had to let out small, shaky chuckles at that. "I'm conflicted, a part of me wants to shake your hand for possibly saving the Empire, while the other wants to slice your throat." Might as well just say what's on her mind since they're both speaking their minds for the moment.

"Yeah." Astrid said as her eyes fell to the table. "I promise you this though, I accept your terms. I won't contact you or your friends, same goes for the rest of the Brotherhood." Khara got up from her seat and walked around the table to stand next to Astrid who raised an eyebrow at her. When Khara raised a hand however for Astrid to shake, the woman got up from her seat as well. "You sure you don't want to do the slicing thing instead?" She asked carefully.

Khara shook her head. "I quite like Veezara and Eryan, and most of the others in this place, I don't want them to lose another member on this day." And with those words Astrid accepted the offered hand and shook it.

"That's it then." Astrid said.

"That's it." Khara repeated before she walked over to the door, not looking back. She opened it and was met with her friends. Delvin, Rune, Sapphire, Orgrim and Serana, they were all waiting for her. Khara walked over to them and offered them a smile. "Time to go home." She said in a tired voice.

They walked out of the sanctuary and got on their horses. After Solitude, Orgrim had taken a detour and grabbed Khara and Serana's horses at Markarth, something that both women appreciated greatly.

Serana saw how Khara seemed lost in thoughts, something she had found out the wolf did quite often. She could also see that something seemed different, even though she knew Khara was tired, the wolf also seemed to be relaxed about something else. And Serana was sure it was due to them getting further and further away from the sanctuary. She saw how Khara fell into her normal self as time passed and distance increased, it made her smile to see her wolf less tense and on her guard.

"So, this Guild of yours, I will meet them?" Orgrim asked Delvin. Orgrim was excited about going to Riften, he had never even been in the Rift before, yet a lone the town. He was also looking forward to seeing what this Dawnguard was and if it was something for him. He couldn't stop but thinking that a new chapter in his life had just began. _A welcomed change,_ the orc thought.

"Of course! You helped us complete a very well-paid job, Orgrim. You're staying for the celebration." Delvin told him with a grin on his face. Oh, how he was looking forward for the party, but more importantly, the beverages.

Orgrim's face lit up and turned to look at Khara. She laughed as she nodded at him. "That's right, you're practically a part of the family now." She told with a grin.

"Really now?" Orgrim asked with a chuckle.

"That's right, we just adopted your green arse." Rune told him with a deep chuckle.

Khara smiled at how the others were talking with each other. She slowed down her horse a little so that she was riding next to Serana.

Serana was currently enjoying the last of what the Pine Forest had to offer them. They would pass Helgen in a few hours, then through the mountain pass before entering the Rift. She was glad that they would finally be able to go on with their days without worrying about the fall on an Empire or something else as dramatic. She was looking forward to just let her mind go on a little vacation. The last days have been tiring for her, for all of them. The promise of a celebration at the Guild sounded divine as she knew that there would be good music, lots of jokes, cheering, laughing and finally, _finally_ she could feel her wolf's warm body against her own.

Serana was also interested in the idea of the Dawnguard. If everything went as planned, then the vampires that stayed after the fall of her father would finally be dealt with. She made sure to remember to thank Garan and the others for this wonderful idea, because they gave a choice to vampires, to her kind. A choice of having a chance to do some right, after having spent several life times causing harm. She was also glad that vampires that were turned against their will, vampires that didn't ask for vampirism, could maybe find a new life as a Dawnguard, a better life for those who chose it. She didn't know how many people the fort could shelter, but she remembered seeing how big it looked from the outside, she was sure that there were room for more than just twenty people. She would speak with Hestla, or maybe she would be lucky and meet Garan himself, and ask if they were going to recruit more vampires. She knew that some time would have to pass before they would get to that point though. They needed to see if it worked, if the Dawnguard would have a place in Skyrim, but something in Serana told her that there would be plenty of space.

Her thought stopped when she felt a warm feeling inside her, one she hadn't felt in quite some time, but she remembered the first time she had felt it. She remembered how it happened, and who caused it. She turned her head to see Khara smiling charmingly at her.

"You looked cold." Khara whispered as she turned her head to look ahead of them for a moment before looking back at Serana. _She should never be cold_ , she told herself. _Geh, never,_ her dragon aspect agreed.

It took energy, focus and will to channel her…Aura? She still didn't know what to call it. All she knew was that her dragon aspect had created a bond with Serana, a connection. She was thought that it was something dragons did, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure, she still hadn't had that talk with Odahviing or Paarthurnax. All she knew is that she could make the other woman feel a small warmth from within herself when Khara really put her mind to it, and by the look in Serana's eyes, Khara knew that the woman appreciated it.

Serana just grinned as she looked ahead and lowered her head. She felt that tingle in her chest again, that tingle that emerged with almost every action her wolf did. Serana made sure that she shared that with the wolf, that Khara knew how she made her feel. Serana turned her head a little and saw how the glow in the wolf's eyes faded a little. Serana just chuckled before sending Khara a wink. _Gods, I've missed this,_ she thought to herself.

Khara kept her eyes on Serana for a few more seconds before she looked up at the others, face still supporting a big smile. _Gods, I've missed this_ , she thought to herself before her mind drifted over to other thoughts.

With the Emperor assassinated by the Dominion, or so all think, the people would start to speak, start to tell those who had the power to make a change that this was something that could not be shoved under the rugs, but showed to the entire world. With so many people blaming the Dominion, their words of denial would only cause more hatred, more rage towards them. The new Emperor would be chosen in the weeks to come, the Thalmor within Skyrim would probably have to leave, because of their betrayal, but mainly because of their own safety.

The rebellion would hopefully fade with the elves and maybe, just maybe, this civil war could see it's end. Maybe the battle between brothers, between sisters would finally end, maybe the conflict that had divided the land in two could finally end so that Skyrim would be whole again, so that it could finally start to heal.

No one knew what would happen, no one ever did, but something would happen, a change would take place her soon. And due to all the pain the province had endured, this change would have to be a good one.

The new Emperor would hopefully try to win the hearts of his people, hopefully he would let his people put their faith to any god they chose. Maybe he will allow the worship of Talos again, he would maybe see how many people would stand behind him if he did so.

Khara was sure that the next weeks were going to be interesting for sure. She looked up in the skies and smiled when she could see the stars, the moon, the lights dancing above them. She nodded to herself, it was going to be good to finally be able to lay down in a warm bed again, to finally breathe.

* * *

Khara closed and locked the door behind her before she exhaled, _finally_. It was early in the morning; the sun had just come over the mountains. Tonight, there was going to be a celebration for the success of Goldenclaw, but also for completing the job. Luckily though, there was still many hours till that time, plenty of hours to rest.

As the wolf walked over to the bed, she shook her feet free of her boots, took of her shirt and wiggled out of her trouses. She fell into the bed and crawled under the covers, she threw an arm over two legs and pressed her forehead against cool skin and inhaled before letting out a content sigh.

Serana smiled down at the wolf and brought a hand to white hair. She placed her book on the nightstand and moved further down the bed as well. "Hi haalvut kul, losei ful…" Serana furrowed her brows, what was the word again? "Faad?" Serana asked uncertain.

Khara's dragon aspect was floating at those words, both proud and happy. "Geh, losei vahzah, zu'u los faad." Khara said with a smile as she placed a kiss on Serana's shoulder. "That was good, you'll have whole conversations with Odahviing in no time, the overgrown lizard is going to be wagging his tail when he finds out you speak his language." She told her with a low chuckle.

Serana hummed. "I'm not learning it for him though." Serana whispered as she turned her head to the side, her lips brushing against the wolf's forehead.

Khara closed her eyes at the feeling as she found herself unable to keep her lips from twitching upwards, creating a big smile. She moved her head up, connecting her lips with Serana's. Her hand cupped the woman's cheek as she entangled their legs, the need to feel more of Serana's skin against her own grew like a hunger that couldn't be satisfied. Even though she wanted more in this moment, _so_ much more, she knew that they both didn't have the energy to do anything about it, for now.

As the kiss continued, Serana turned to lie on her side as she moved a hand to run over the wolf's stomach as she leaned slightly over Khara's side. She felt how the wolf's hand ran down her neck, slowly. She remembered that air was somewhat important after a little while and moved back the tiniest bit, allowing them both to finally breathe again.

Their eyes met again before Khara's eyes spotted something she hadn't seen in a while. The wolf's eyes trailed down the neck of Serana, down to the swell of her breasts, down to her mark on the woman. She never thought a simple bitemark could awaken such strong feelings within her, but they did, and it felt wonderful. She let her fingers touch the scar, her mark, and it made her heart feel like it was beating for the two of them. She let out a shaky breath before she placed her palm flat against the woman's chest, completely covering the mark.

Khara smiled proudly before slowly dragging her palm upwards until she met Serana's collarbone, she followed it with her fingers before moving her hand against the neck again. She dragged her fingers with such gentleness that it almost didn't feel like the skin touched, but it did, because Serana could feel the trail of heat it left behind. Serana closed her eyes and rested her head against a warm shoulder as the warm hand continued to explore and caress.

Khara smiled at her before she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up some more so that it covered Serana's shoulder. Serana moved to lay a little more on her stomach, giving the wolf access to her back. The wolf's hand moved over the soft, smooth skin for a long time, until Serana fell asleep. Serana's face was against warm skin and Khara's, against soft hair that smelled like lavender.

The wolf would allow sleep to come soon, just…Just not yet. She had never thought that she could miss something as much as she had missed _this._ She was looking forward to the celebration and to see how Goldenclaw were doing. She also had to take a little trip up to the market after they had rested, she needed to speak with Madesi, the most talented jeweler she had ever met, and ask if he would be interested in a little project. But…Khara looked at Serana. _We'll take care of that after we wake up_ , she thought as she hugged Serana closer.

* * *

" _Can you hand me those ingredients, dear?"_

" _Of course." Serana walked over to the shelf and grabbed the desired items before walking back to her mother and placing it on the table next to her. She looked up at her mother and spoke. "Mother, what is father doing, meeting with that man?" Serana asked._

 _Valerica looked at her daughter before she grabbed the ingredients and continued with her potion. "It's just business, dear. Nothing you have to worry about, I assure you." She told Serana as she worked on the potion._

 _Business? What kind of business? "Why is father so busy these days, we hardly see him anymore, even though we live in the same place." Serana said as she locked eyes with her mother. Her eyes held worry in them and Valerica saw it._

 _Valerica walked up to her daughter and placed a hand against her daughter's cool cheek as she looked deeply into her eyes. "He is simply working, darling. I can see that look in your eye, there is nothing to worry about." Her words were caught by Serana's ears, but not her mind nor heart. "I promise you, Serana. Nothing will happen to you, not under my watch." She said in a loving tone as she placed a sweet kiss on her daughter's forehead._

 _Serana looked at her and nodded slowly, still not completely convinced. She knew something was about to happen, because her father had been acting so…So different over the last couple of weeks and something told Serana that it wasn't a good kind of different._

 _Valerica offered her daughter a reassuring smile before taking a step back and getting back to work. "Come now, I need your help with this potion." Serana shook her thought clear and walked over to her mother, but something felt wrong. She turned around to see a cloud of darkness crawl towards them._

" _Mother?" Serana asked alarmed as she looked at the cloud that were slowly getting closer. Serana didn't get a response and turned around to see that she was in a different room now, her bedchambers. She looked around confused, the cloud had vanished just like her mother. What was happening?_

" _My Lady!" A voice shouted as a man entered the room, his eyes wide and he was breathing heavily. Serana knew this man, it was Garan. "You need to leave, my Lady. It is not safe for you here."_

 _Serana looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Why do I-"_

" _What are you talking about, Garan?" A voice from behind asked. Serana turned around to see her mother in the room with her now. She wasn't there before, was she? Serana was pulled out of her ponder when Garan walked straight through her. Serana gasped as she took a step back while placing a hand over her heart. What in Oblivion was happening?_

" _It is Lord Harkon, my Lady. He has found a way to fulfill the prophecy." Garan's words echoed around the room as the man turned to mist and vanished._

 _Valerica looked straight into Serana's eyes and walked closer. She placed both hands on the sides of Serana's face and looked into her daughter's eyes. "I will keep you safe, my darling." She said with sadness in her voice._

 _A sound could be heard behind her now. Valerica's hands moved from her face and she turned around and she was met with that dark cloud, that dark mist again. It was moving in unnatural ways, pulsing it's way closer to her. She was starting to panic, but she didn't know why. The mist made her afraid, made her feel even more cold than before._

" _Mother, what is that?" She asked worried, not from what the mist was, but from what may be lurking inside it. Yet again there was no response. Serana turned around to see that she was somewhere different again, but her mother was with her this time._

" _I will come back soon, I promise Serana." Valerica said in a low voice as she gently guided Serana back._

 _Serana placed a hand over her mother's and moved her eyes to see behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw the mist again, moving towards them faster than before thing time. "Mother, behind you!" She warned._

" _I know dear." Valeria said with a sad smile. A from came out of the mist, a monster. It was walking towards them, towards Valerica's back. Serana tried to warn her again, but her voice had been taken from her. She tried to speak, to shout, to scream, but only silence could be heard. She tried to run toward her mother, but there was a shackle around her wrist. What? Serana tried to break it, but it didn't help, nothing did. There was walls around her now, she was panicking as she noticed how they were getting ever so closer. Serana looked back up at her mother, why was her mother just standing there looking at her?_

 _Serana's eyes moved to the mist behind Valerica, the shape was directly behind the other woman now. It moved a claw and snaked its way around Valerica's throat. It moved its other claw high in the air before flying down towards Valerica with such speed that it was making a sound. Serana's vision faded right before she could see what happened._

 _She was breathing heavily, she placed her free hand against the stone walls around her, but there was no use. She was stuck, alone, in an unknown place, and the coldness, the coldness was the only thing that was there with her._

* * *

Khara woke up to the sound of a weak whimper. She opened her eyes and could see a pained expression on Serana's face. The woman had moved away from her and was now lying on her back, their skin wasn't touching, which was odd because Serana always made sure that their skin touched when they slept in the same bed.

Khara was lying on her side and quickly propped herself up on one elbow as she brought her other hand over to Serana, searching for the woman's hand. In the moment their skin touched, Serana pulled her hand to her chest and opened her eyes which were stuck on the ceiling above them.

"Serana?" Khara whispered carefully. Serana only closed her eyes, she was afraid that this too was a dream and that something terrible was going to happen to her wolf. Khara's eyes widened at how Serana was clenching her eyes. She knew what Serana was doing because she had done it herself so many times. "Hey, it's not a dream. I'm here." Khara said in a low voice as she moved a little closer. "I promise." She said as she slowly moved her hand closer to Serana. "This is not a dream, Serana." She whispered as her hand touched a cool, slightly shaking shoulder. It hurt to see her like this, it really fucking hurt. Khara knew that Serana just needed to take a minute to calm down. So, the wolf patiently waited, her hand still on her shoulder, her thumb moving around in a small circle against cool skin.

Serana opened her eyes once she had calmed down, but she didn't say anything, she only rolled over and were met with warm hands that wrapped around her. Khara moved to lay on her back and pulled Serana closer. Serana hid her face in the crook of her wolf's neck and let the scent of her wolf calm her. "It was only a bad dream." She said in a low voice.

Khara nodded as she gave her a little squeeze. "I know, I get them too." The wolf said as she moved a hand to run her fingers through dark hair. "Go back to sleep, Serana, I won't let go of you this time." Khara told her as Serana felt the wolf's hold tighten around her.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Serana:** Hi haalvut kul, losei ful…Faad? **– You feel good, you're so…Warm?**

 **Khara:** Geh, losei vahzah, zu'u los faad. **– Yes, you're right, I am warm.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Alrighty, looks like we're done with the Brotherhood for now, but who knows, maybe we'll meet them again in the future.

So, my version of the Dark Brotherhood questline was a little different, I hope some of you enjoyed it. I also hope that my version of Astrid weren't too bad. I know she is like this total badass character, but I honestly think that the Astrid we see in the game is an act. She seems so in control, calm and collected, always knows what to do and is like this fearless leader, but the people who seems to be like this is normally the most scared, alone and fragile people from my experiences. We sort of shows this when she tries to get us killed. Maybe Astrid showed who she really was when she was playing as Lyria, and maybe her role as Astrid is the act, who knows?

Anyways, next chapter there will be a little party with the Guild and maybe a little trip to Fort Dawnguard, we'll just have to wait and see.

Still trying to find what questline to do next, but it's hard! Do you have any ideas of what questline would be cool to read about? If so, let me know you beautiful beast.

Take care people.

-Zep


	24. Chapter 24

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 24_

 _A Celebration_

Serana was lying with her back against Khara, she rested her head on a strong arm while another one was draped over her side, hand close to her chest as Serana was holding it there. Her eyes were stuck on the wall as she remembered her dream from earlier. It had been accurate, not one-hundred percent accurate, but still fairly close to what actually happened.

She remembers all the weeks, all the years she had been awake in that stone prison. All that time she had been pushing, punching, yelling, crying, panicking and blaming her parents for making her life reside around a few stone walls, she had hated them. After a long time though, she was starving and knew she needed to go into a deep sleep if she was ever to survive, because she still had hope. Hope that one day someone would release her from her prison and let her finally breathe again. Her hatred for her mother faded over time as she realized that what Valerica did, she did for Serana. It didn't mean that Serana had forgiven her mother though, she had only allowed herself to see it from another perspective.

Her thoughts stopped when she saw that Khara's fingers moved the tiniest bit and when she heard the change in the wolf's breathing, Khara was waking up. The first thing that the wolf did made Serana smile bashfully, her wolf had moved her hand fully against her chest now, palm right over her heart. She felt the wolf nuzzle into the back of her neck and inhale before she felt a soft kiss, and then another.

She hugged Khara's arm impossibly closer at the same time as she brought the wolf's hand up to her lips. Serana thought that it was only fair to repay the wolf with two kisses of her own. Serana felt the wolf lips smile against her skin. "Do you want to get up?" Serana whispered gently. She felt Khara hug her closer and Serana knew what the wolf's answer was going to be.

"No." Khara responded with the same tone. "I'm way too comfortable right now, it would be a sin to leave this bed." Khara then dragged her lips over smooth skin before placing a few more kisses on Serana's shoulder. "We don't want to upset the Gods now, do we?" Khara was wondering if she should ask Serana about her dream, if she wanted to share it with the wolf. But she thought that Serana would tell her if that is what the woman desired. So, she didn't ask, she simply wanted to shower the woman with affection.

"Definitely not." Serana answered with a grin. _You and your words_ , she thought amused to herself. Serana moved a little and Khara moved a few inches back so that Serana rolled onto her back, then onto Khara. With their bodies so close against each other and their eyes locked, neither could stop themselves from smiling like fools. "Hey." Serana greeted her wolf as she moved some white hair out of the way for such a beautiful face. She was using one arm to hold herself up a little and the other to touch soft hair.

"Hey yourself." The wolf responded with a grin as she nudged her own elbow against Serana's, making it so the woman lost her balance and fell down on her, their bodies were now flush against each other, as were their lips. The wolf hummed as Serana chuckled as the new contact were welcomed by both.

Serana took lead as she captured Khara's lower lip and let her tongue run over it, making the wolf release a small, yet noticeable moan, Serana was granted access just a second later. Their tongues danced together as their kiss deepened and turned more passionate, more heatedas time passed. Warm hands ran over cold skin as lips moved against each other. _Hunger_ , that is what both felt in this moment, hunger. The intense longing to be with the other in the most intimate way they knew possible, to _feel_ the other in the most intimate way possible. That hunger grew as that heat increased, as that electric current between them increased.

Serana felt that warm sensation in her lower stomach, and with finally having had hours of sleep, of rest, she could _finally_ act on it. She wasted no time as she pressed herself harder down against the wolf, Serana couldn't tell if it was she or Khara who had moaned at the feeling. She moved her legs a little, so they were on both sides of the wolf's waist. Without the need to share words nor thoughts, Khara sat up, making it so Serana sat in her lap, and slowly brought her hand over to the fabric that was covering Serana's breasts. "Off?" Khara asked against soft lips, her voice making Serana feel a shiver of excitement flow through her.

Serana nodded eagerly. "Off." She confirmed. Khara smirked into the kiss and removed the clothing, and Serana did the same to her. Khara moved an arm around Serana's lower back and pulled the woman closer. The wolf's hands ran down the sides of Serana and pulled at the last piece covering her. Serana got up on her knees as Khara pulled the fabric down her thighs, and then removing it fully. Since Serana was on her knees, the wolf had the perfect view to her beautiful breasts, and she wasn't about to let such an opportunity pass. She kissed around the soft skin as her hands caressed Serana's back, holding her close while cool hands got lost in her hair.

Pale hands got entangled in white hair, warm hands ran over cool skin, both was so focused on the other and thus, their feelings, their emotions and sensations connected. They closed their eyes as the warmth along with the thrilling feelings, along with the electric flow made them breathe more heavily than before.

Khara left wet kisses across Serana's chest before traveling higher with her lips. She let Serana lower herself again and after Khara had kissed her way up Serana's neck, their lips met again. Khara's wolf aspect howled in excitement when a scent hit her and yet again, she wasted no time.

Serana felt a warm hand travel down her body. It had been too long since they had been together like this, too long. Feelings had been building up for such a long time now and it was finally time to release them, to fully feel them. Serana's lips forgot how to function when she felt a finger run through her folds, her whole body forgot to function as that fire in her stomach flared up and sent a wave of pleasure throughout her body. She released a shaky moan as she dragged her lips across Khara's cheek.

Khara too felt a shiver of unexpected warmth flow through her, but that didn't make her hand falter with its current task. She smiled against the cool cheek before moving her lips down to a jaw, then to a neck where she kissed, licked and nibbled on the smooth, cool skin. The heavy sound of Serana's breathing only encouraged her to keep going, and that she did.

She let her fingers slide through wet folds and around the sensitive bundle of nerves before going back and doing again, repeating the motion over and over again until moving a finger down to Serana's entrance and slowly entering her. Serana let out a deep moan as she brought an arm around Khara's neck and moving her head so that she could feel those lips again. She needed to feel Khara's lips on her own, because it felt like she was floating, and she needed something to keep her grounded and Serana knew, she _knew_ that those warm, soft, loving lips would do just that.

They found a rhythm and even though it was slow, it was hypnotizing, it was gentle, yet intense, it was perfect. Serana began to rock her hips to meet the wolf's hand. The feeling that they both could feel were too much at times, so their lips simply brushed against each other and instead their eyes connected. There was something about looking in to the other's eyes that made the whole act more sensual. Soft-glowing orange stared into non-glowing blue, they could see what the other was feeling by looking into their eyes, but it wasn't needed, because they could _feel_ what the other felt, but still to see such loving eyes looking back, nothing could ever compare.

Every sense was heightened, from the warm hand that was gently dragging its nails across flawless skin to fingers that was holding onto white hair, both felt it, and both couldn't get enough, and they both loved it. Skin touched, eyes connected, hands gripped, toes curled, moans and other sounds of pleasure floated around them. Every single part of their minds was filled with thoughts of the other, there was no worry, no thinking, just the here and now.

The way Serana was dragging her fangs along Khara's jaw whilst moving her body against her in the way that she did, the wolf was struggling to stay focused. She almost couldn't believe that such a beautiful woman was hers, _hers_. Miracles really do happen. Khara moved her head and pressed her lips against Serana's as she added a finger. She smirked when she felt how Serana's lips trembled against her own as the woman was releasing the most breathtaking sounds the wolf had ever heard.

With one single curl of fingers, Serana froze and gasped for air as she held onto Khara like her life depended on it. The wolf too was struggling to breathe as wave after wave of the most wonderful feelings flowed through her body. Lips touching, eyes closed as they held onto the other and slowly, they calmed their breathing. Khara moved her hand and placed it on Serana's thigh as she moved her head so that she could place a long kiss over her mark on the woman. The wolf then slowly let them fall back on the bed again.

Serana rested her head on a warm shoulder as she finally opened her eyes, she brought her hand up to the wolf's chest and held it over the wolf's rapidly beating heart, she closed her eyes and smiled as she felt it move under her touch.

Khara let one arm hold Serana in place as she moved her other hand and brought it to hold over the hand that was resting on her chest. Khara was staring at the ceiling as she was stunned over the amount of feelings currently flowing through her, how it was even possible to feel this much for one single person was a mystery to her. She opened her mouth, but no sounds managed to come out, no words could describe what she was feeling, no words held that much meaning behind them, but yet she was dying to express how she felt, she needed Serana to know.

Serana moved a little and pressed her lips to Khara's cheek. "I know, Khara." She whispered.

Khara moved her head to the side and looked into orange eyes. "Yeah?" She asked in a low voice.

Serana smiled and gave a small nod before placing her hand on Khara's cheek and pressing her forehead against the wolf's. "Yeah." She said as she moved her thumb back and forth over the smooth skin. Serana looked deeply into those blue eyes and she got lost, no words were spoken, or thoughts shared as she looked. She never thought it possible to be _this_ connected to someone, to have someone she could trust on this level, but Khara kept surprising her. She just smiled, she didn't know what else to do, she was happy, she was content, and she knew that it showed in her eyes. "We need to get up soon, don't we?" She whispered as she followed the scar under the wolf's eye.

"We still have a little while, the Guild is probably getting ready, fetching drinks and getting food. So, we have a few hours still." Khara said as she closed her eyes and inhaled the woman's scent. _I can't get enough._

Serana smiled as she continued to look at the wolf. "Anything else on the agenda today?" She whispered as she looked at Khara.

"I'm going to have a meeting with the other Senior Members and see if we can't give Thrynn a promotion, I also have to go to the market and talk with a customer." Khara opened her eyes again and smiled at Serana. "That's it. If you want, we can go to the training room after that?" Khara asked.

Serana's eyes lit up at that. _She remembers_. "You'll teach me how to use a sword?" She said amused.

Khara smiled as she nodded. "About time, isn't it?" She nudged her nose against Serana's. "You're a fast learner, you'll probably be a master with a sword in no time."

"Sweet talker." Khara smirked at that. "But I guess it'll be nice to have a backup for when magic isn't as useful or if I run out." She did run out of magica at times and her dagger wasn't always the best weapon to use. To have a sword nearby and to know how to use it would prove most useful, Serana was sure of it.

"Wise words. Is there anything else you want to learn?" Khara asked. "I do know quite a few things and for those I don't know, someone else in the Guild would be happy to show you." She told Serana. It was true, the Guild had masters within most skills here.

" _Oh_ , lockpicking." Serana said excited, she had always wanted to know how to do it.

"Lockpicking?" Khara chuckled out. "Why lockpicking?"

"It looks complicated and I've always wondered how people do it without breaking every single lockpick." That and Serana have a bad history in keeping track of where she puts keys, damn things just disappear into thin air.

"Alright, lockpicking it is." It would take patience and precision, but she knew that Serana could do it if she put her mind to it. "It can be irritating though, lockpicks _will_ break. Even I fail at times and I've been doing it for some time now."

"As long as you don't give up on me." Serana chuckled, she could already hear the breaking sound of the lockpicks.

"Never." Khara said immediately.

Serana smiled and placed a quick kiss on the wolf's lips before she rolled off and laid on her stomach. She let her eyes roam over the wolf's naked chest before she reached out and dragged her hand along the wolf's scar that was on her stomach. "You locked the door, right?" Serana asked as her eyes followed the movements of her hand.

"Yeah, always do. But it's not like anyone would dare to enter anyways." Khara said with a grin.

"Oh? Care to share?" Serana asked with a raised eyebrow aimed at the wolf.

"Well, I helped out a mage back at the College and in reward I was given a scroll that would summon a dremora to come and fight for me." Khara told her as she looked at Serana. "I had never used a summon scroll before, so I looked at it, inspected it and such." The wolf said.

Serana let her eyes look up at Khara now, she was curious to see where this story was going.

"Suddenly I had managed to activate it and then there was a dremora in my room." Khara explained with a laugh. "It roared out loud that it would vanquish my enemies and it drew it's weapon and looked around. This was during the night, by the way, so most of the others were sleeping." Khara said and Serana nodded. "Anyways, Sapphire and Rune came sprinting in, thinking that I was in trouble. Sapphire was clothed but Rune only had some trousers on. One thing led to another and we had Rune tie the dremora up because it started swinging it's sword around like a mad man." Khara said as she pointed to her wardrobe.

Serana's eyes followed the finger and could see the cutmarks on the wood. "Oh, wow." The marks were deep, it must have been one big sword.

Khara then laughed softly at the memory. "Brynjolf and some other members came walking in to see a tied up dremora on the bed with an almost naked Rune behind it, leather strips in is mouth and hands while me and Sapphire was sitting in the chairs watching." Khara laughed out.

Serana was laughing too. "That must have looked _so_ wrong for the others." Serana could see the whole scene before her, Rune bare-chested on the bed with the dremora tied up, Khara and Sapphire watching him, it was too good.

Khara nodded as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. "They thought that me and Sapphire was into some rather twisted stuff after that, we cleared it up fast, but poor Rune still gets teased by it every now and then." Khara took a moment to calm her laughter. "After that, no one dares to enter the Guild Masters room, because they're afraid of what they might see." She said with a chuckle.

"I can see why." Serana said amused.

"Yeah, I understand that the watching someone get it on with a dremora might be a little…Strange, sure. But they seemed more freaked out about the tying part." Khara said as she looked up at the ceiling.

 _No way._ Serana propped herself up on her elbows and looked at Khara with interest. "You don't think tying someone up is a little too much?" She asked, eyes stuck on the woman next to her.

"No, not really." Khara said as she shrugged her shoulders. "It requires a lot of trust, but the idea of just letting someone else take full control-" Khara thought about it for a moment. "It's an interesting thought is all." And that was the wolf's honest opinion on that. When she didn't get a response from Serana she got a little worried that she had told Serana too much. She turned her head and her breath hitched at the sight, Serana was looking at her while biting her lip, trying to hide her smirk.

"I'll…" Serana let her eyes roam over the parts of Khara's body that weren't covered, and she swallowed. "I'll remember that." _Gods her voice,_ Khara thought as she looked into hungry, orange eyes. Serana fully smirked when she saw the wolf's reaction to her words and the tone of her voice. She thought about it, Khara always seemed to like to be in control, she was a werewolf after all, to dominate was in her blood. Her dragon blood must also make her want to be the one making the decisions most of the time. Khara was a person that was very dominant, end of story. So, for the wolf to give that up, well…Serana would just make sure to remember it.

Khara was looking into those eyes and her thought raced through her mind. The idea of lying in a bed, unable to move with Serana on top of her didn't sound like the worst idea to the wolf. Sure, she liked to be in control, but surely she could submit to her mate, that was allowed, right? _Yes,_ her wolf aspect growled with excitement. She managed to let go of her thoughts when she felt a hand move some hair out of her face. She looked at Serana who had a pleased expression on her face.

"What on Nirn could you be thinking about, huh?" Serana asked amused.

Khara closed her eyes as she felt her cheeks burn. She covered her face with her hands and groaned, she would never hear the end of this. "If anyone ever finds out about this, I _will_ make you regret it." She warned with a muffled voice.

 _Oh, you're making this too easy_ , Serana thought amused as she leaned closer to the wolf's ear. "You would _punish_ me?" She whispered hotly against the woman's ear before letting the wolf feel her fangs. A warm hand came up to her neck and held her in place, just as Serana predicted.

"Serana…" Her voice was a mixture of a whimper and a moan, pleading, asking to feel more of those magnificent fangs.

Serana let out a deep chuckle as she dragged her lips down to Khara's neck. "Yeah?" She whispered against the burning skin.

" _Please_." Khara whimpered.

Serana hummed as she kissed warm skin. "Anything for you." She said in a loving tone before letting the wolf have her wish. She sank her fangs into the warm flesh and felt her body move closer all on its own. Warm, no… _Burning_ red liquid entered her senses and forced her to groan, Khara's blood never disappointed her, _never._ It was so very addictive to Serana, because every time she tasted it, she swore on her own blood, it always tasted better than the last time. The wolf's blood was like a fine bottle of wine, it only increased in taste as time passed and every sip was more pleasing than the last. The taste along with the smell, the sounds and the warmth. Serana wished that this could happen every single time they woke up. The intimacy, the warmth, the comfort, the humor, the companionship was just breathtaking, it was almost unbelievable.

Serana took what she needed, and a little more, before removing her fangs. She did as she always did, she kissed and licked over her mark and let it heal. She let some time pass as she laid close to her wolf. She ran fingers over the exposed stomach, naked arms, collarbone and neck, while she nuzzled further into the wolf's neck. "We should get up?" She whispered after some time.

Khara hummed as she rolled them over, she placed a sweet kiss on cool lips and whispered. "I love you."

Serana smiled into the kiss even more than what she was already doing at those words. "And I love you." She felt how Khara pulled a little back before placing one more kiss on her lips.

The wolf then got off Serana and got dressed in some normal clothes as she sat on the bed. Khara felt Serana move behind her and place one last kiss on her neck before getting dressed as well. The gesture made the wolf smile like crazy, she loved this. "Do you want to come with me to the market or do you want to hang around the Guild?" Khara asked as she tied her boots.

Serana looked over at the wolf and smiled. "I could do with some fresh air."

Khara raised her head and looked at her. "Well alright then." She walked over to the door and unlocked it before opening it for Serana. "Ladies first."

They walked down the corridor that would take them to the main room, they then walked over to where the bar was. They greeted some members as they walked into the desired room and walked over to where Delvin and Vex sat. "Hey, Vex." Khara said with a smile, had been a while since she had seen the woman.

"Hey, Delvin says you want a meeting later?" Vex asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"Aye, I'm just going to hit the market real fast, we can do it after that, yeah?" Khara asked as she looked around the room. She saw that Orgrim, Rune, Sapphire and Thrynn were sitting together and talking. It made her smile that Orgrim seemed to get along with her Guild members so well.

"You got it, boss." Delvin said as he nodded to her.

"Good, I'll be back in a few." Khara said before she and Serana walked over to the exit. They walked through the corridors and when they got to the door they were met with the view of the sun setting.

"Looks like we spent the whole day in bed." Khara said with a grin.

"Looks like it, wouldn't say it's a bad thing though." Serana said with a smirk.

"Oh, you're right about that." Khara said back in a low voice. They entered the market place and saw that a few stands and shops were still open. "Hey-" Khara said to grab Serana's attention. "Why don't you go over to the blacksmith over there and see if you can't find a sword that you like?" Khara said as she pointed to the blacksmith.

Serana nodded with a smile. "I'll do that."

"I'll come grab you once I'm done here." Khara said as she nodded to a stand with an argonian behind it. Serana nodded to her and made her way over to the blacksmith. Khara let the distance between them increase a little more before she walked over to the stand. "Good day, Madesi." She said to the argonian.

He looked up from what he was working on and smiled. "Hello, Khara. I heard that you are the new proud owner of Riftweald Manor, congratulations."

"Thank you." Khara said as she searched her pouches for something.

Madesi looked at the woman. "You have a task for me?" He asked.

"That I do, might even be a little difficult to make if I'm being honest." She said as she finally found what she was looking for. She unfolded the paper and place it before Madesi.

His eyes widened as he inspected the paper. "This design is impressive." He grabbed the paper and brought it closer. "You want me to make them?" He said as he glanced at Khara.

"If you think it's possible? I know the material is hard to shape." Khara said as she leaned over the stand and looked at the paper as well.

"It will, without a doubt, be a challenge-" He looked closer at the paper. "But certainly not impossible." He placed a finger on the paper. "What gem?"

"Diamond, flawless." She said. "I have it right here, along with a few others." She placed a small bag on the stand. Madesi inspected the gems and hummed. "Will that be enough to cover it?" She asked.

He nodded. "More than enough, thank you." He said kindly. "I will begin in the morning, this should be fun." He then looked at Khara. "I will send a raven when they are done?" He asked.

"Yes please, that would be most appreciated." She said with a warm smile.

"Alright then." He took the paper and put it in a pocket. "It should take too long."

"Thank you, have a good night." She said as she took a few steps back.

"Likewise." He said with a nod as he made to pack up his things for the day.

Khara nodded as she turned around and walked towards the blacksmith. She got up to Serana and inspected the swords with her. "Anything that stands out?" She asked.

Serana hummed and grabbed an ebony sword. "This one seems good, but I don't really know a whole lot about swords." Serana said as she held it.

"May I?" Khara gestured to the sword. Serana nodded and gave the wolf the sword. Khara inspected it and nodded to herself. "It's well balanced, sharp, a fine weapon." She then looked at Serana. "It would be a good weapon to learn with, it's light and easy to handle." Khara then nodded to herself this time before she looked for the owner of the shop. "Hey, Balimund."

"Yeah?" The man asked.

Khara raised the sword a little in the air. "How much?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Seven-hundred?" He asked as he walked closer. Khara nodded, grabbed a pouch off her belt and threw it to the man. "Much appreciated." He said with a grin as he held the pouch and looked into it.

Khara and Serana walked back to the Guild's entrance and walked through the door. "Should I feel bad that you're always paying for me?" Serana asked amused.

"No." Khara said pleased with herself. "As long as I'm around, you're not allowed to spend a single coin." She said as she walked with her hands behind her back and her nose high in the air. Serana only shook her head with a smile on her lips at the wolf.

They got back in the bar and Khara looked over at Orgrim and the others. "Is that Thrynn?" Serana asked as she pointed to the man sitting with Orgrim, Rune and Sapphire.

Khara looked over at where Serana was pointing. "Aye, that's him."

"Alright, I'll sit with Orgrim while you have that meeting then." Serana offered with a smile.

Khara looked at her and smiled. "Good thinking, I'll try to be quick."

"No rush, Khara." Serana said amused.

Khara nodded before she whistled to Rune, Sapphire and Thrynn. They looked over at her and got up from their seats. Rune patted Orgrim on a shoulder as he walked passed the orc. Serana walked over to sit with Orgrim while Khara walked over to Delvin, Brynjolf and Vex.

"Let's go." She told them as she walked past their table. The whole gang walked through the main room and into the meeting room, or the room that was for Senior members only.

The room wasn't too big, but it served its purpose just fine. In the middle of the room there was a round table. Khara sat down in her seat and waited for the others to do the same. "Right-" She said once they were all seated. "We're here to vote on adding a member to our Senior ranks." She then looked at Thrynn. "Thrynn, you have been with us from before I joined the Guild. You have always been working hard to see the Guild's rise, you've always been loyal, resourceful, respective and you've never broken the Guild rules." Khara then looked around the table. "As Guild master I initiate a vote for Thrynn to become a Senior member, yay or nay."

Every single person sitting around the table said _yay_ as Khara's eyes landed on them. She then looked at Thrynn and smiled. "I too say, yay. Thrynn-" She looked at him. "Congratulations, you just got promoted." She said with a grin as she saw his eyes lit up.

Rune cheered along with the others as he ran over to his good friend and patted him on his shoulder. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you joined the privileged!"

Khara let them open an expensive bottle of mead before she let her fellow members congratulate their friend. She walked out of the room and made her way back to the bar, back to Serana and Orgrim. She saw them sitting by the same table as before. Khara was about to sit down with them when Rune and Thrynn ran past her, grabbed Orgrim, dragged the orc over to the bar and began drinking.

Khara snorted at the sight as she walked up to Serana. She held out a hand for the woman to take as she spoke. "Shall we?" She asked with a grin, she saw that Serana knew what she was talking about.

Serana smiled up at her and accepted the hand. "We shall indeed." They got out of the bar and walked over to the training room. Khara was going to show Serana that using a sword wasn't just a skill, because if you combined the movement of the sword with the movement of your feet, some would say that it was an art, something Khara had to agree on, it would look like a dance. A master swordsman could make any fight look like a dance, the trick was to use every single part of your body, down to every last muscle.

Khara grabbed her own sword and spoke. "Let's begin."

* * *

Brynjolf was walking past the training room when he heard a sound. He stopped in his tracks as curiosity got the better of him, he allowed himself to tune in on the conversation that could be heard. Brynjolf's eyes widened, he recognized the voices, Khara and Serana was in the room, but what in Oblivion were they doing? He heard someone grunt and another hum.

"So, what? I just put it in there?" Serana asked a little confused.

"Yup, just make sure you get the right angle, it can be a bit tricky at first." Someone moved a little. "It's fine to be nervous on your first time, I was too. Don't worry, I'm sure you're a natural." Khara said.

"Like that?" Serana asked.

"Hmm, no. Pull it out and try again." Khara said and Brynjolf could hear someone move a little again, probably Serana

"Oh, that feels right." Serana said excited.

"Yeah? Try moving it a little to the side." Khara said with a calm voice.

"Do I move it around now?" Serana's tone was a little uncertain again.

"Yeah, just feel around, you'll hear a sound when you hit the right spot." A few seconds passed. "Oh, that's it!" Khara cheered.

"What do I do now?" Serana asked again. Brynjolf couldn't believe this, it sounded like they were… _No, can't be that_.

"Put the other one in there and hold it still while you move the other around." A hiss could be heard. "That's fine, try again. You know where to put it now, you just need to be a little more gentle with the movement is all."

Brynjolf had heard enough and walked into the room to find Khara sitting on the floor, leaning over a chest while Serana was working on the chest's lock.

Khara looked up at her fellow Guild member and smiled. "Hey, Bryn." She then saw how red his cheeks were and tilted her head. "You alright?"

Brynjolf shook his head before he spoke. "Oh, yeah. Just fine, lass. What are you two doin'?" He asked as he tried to calm himself.

"I'm just showing Serana how to use a lockpick." Khara said with a smile.

"It's not as easy as you think it is." Serana said as she continued to work on the lock. " _Damn it_." She hissed when she broke another lockpick. Khara handed her another one and she tried again.

"Hey, how much did we get payed for the job we did?" Khara asked, she had almost forgotten about that.

"Twenty-thousand." He said as he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Alright, make sure to give Rune, Delvin and Sapphire twenty-five percent each, yeah? Also, could you take some of my cut and give it to Orgrim? The rest can go in the Guild vault." Khara told the man.

"Sure thing, boss. I'll get right to it." Brynjolf said as he wanted to get out of the room as quick as possible. With a nod from Khara he left them to be.

Serana then put an arm over the chest and huffed. "Did he sound weird to you just now?" She asked the wolf.

Khara shrugged her shoulder. "A little I guess, not sure why he was though."

"Yeah, same here, maybe it's just one of those days." Serana said as she looked over at the entrance of the room.

"Could be." Khara said with a nod. "Now, do you want to continue or see if the others have begun the celebration?"

"I think I've had enough practice for now, my arm feels like it's about to fall off due to all the training you've put me through." She said with a chuckle.

"That's a good thing though." Khara pointed out with a smile. "And you're a natural with a sword."

"Sweet talker." Serana said amused and Khara hummed. "We should take a bath and get some fresh clothes." Serana said as she looked at herself and Khara.

"Yeah, let's do that." Khara said as she walked with Serana out of the training room. The wolf made sure to remember to ask Brynjolf if he was alright, he really did seem a little strange earlier.

* * *

Serana sat by the table with Khara, Orgrim, Delvin, Vex and Brynjolf. They were sharing stories and laughing together as they were drinking and enjoying the music being played by a couple of bards. The food was wonderful as was the company. Just as always, a celebration with the Guild was extremely enjoyable.

"Hey, Serana?" Delvin asked as he looked at her with a devilish grin on his face. Serana looked at him and raised an eyebrow at the man." Ever seen Rune drunk?" Serana shook her head.

"Oh, you're going to enjoy this then." Vex said as she looked over at the drunk man. "Hey, Rune! Come over here for a second."

Rune quickly spun around and made his way over to them. Vex patted on the free chair and gestured for Rune to take a seat with them. He sat down, and you could see just how much the man have had to drink by the way he was slightly swaying in his seat.

"So, Rune. How are you?" Brynjolf asked with a grin.

"Oh, man." Rune's eyes widened his eyes and brought his hands closer to his face. "My palms are sweaty, knees weak-" He let his arms fall down to his sides. "Arms are heavy." He looked around as he inhaled deeply through his nose. He made a disgusted face and pointed to another Guild member. "There's vomit on his sweater already-" He narrowed his eyes and looked at the man. "Probably the chef's gnocchi." He said before looking over at one of the bards and nodded. "And he? He's nervous, but ye' know, he looks calm and ready to sing songs." He then put a hand close to his ear and chuckled. "But you can hear that he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down." He says as the bard was looking at a piece of paper. Some people were starting to yell at the bard to begin already. "And the whole crowd goes so loud, I mean, he opens is mouth but the words won't come out!" Rune said as he yelled too. The bard tried to grab a cup of water but failed to swallow it correctly. "And now he's choking? How?" Rune was now laughing. "Everybody is joking now." He said with a grin as he pointed to his fellow members who were throwing rude remarks at the poor bard.

Sapphire then came up to the table and looked down at her drunk friend. "Okey, that's it." She said before kneeling down before her friend. "Rune, times up." She didn't even get the man to look at her. She moved her hand and waved it right before his eyes. "Hey, snap back to reality." She told him.

Rune nodded as he jumped out of his seat and up on his legs. The sudden move must have caused him to get dizzy because he was stumbling back towards a wall. " _Oh_ , there goes gravity." He mumbled as he hit the wall.

Sapphire just shook her head as she walked over to him and pulled an arm over her shoulder. "Come now, no more drinking for you." She told him with a grin on her face.

Rune whined as they walked away from the others. "But I _just_ started drinking." He mumbled as Sapphire lead him over to the main room.

Back at the table they were and all chuckling and laughing. "That man has never been able to hold his liquor." Delvin chuckled.

"Oh, come now, Delvin. I'm sure you were like that at some point in your life." Vex said as she nudged the man with her shoulder.

"Several lifetimes ago, Vex." Delvin said with a smirk as he drank. "I've mastered the art of drinking, be no man nor woman who can compete with me when it comes to drinking."

Brynjolf raised an eyebrow over those words. "Is that something you'd like to bet on, Delvin?" He asked with curiosity and a small grin.

Delvin looked at him and grinned as he placed his mug down on the table. "Bring it, Bryn. Who do you propose? I know you don't stand a chance." Delvin said as he looked at the man.

Brynjolf then leaned a little to the side and put his arm over his Guild Master's shoulder. "Khara will do it." He said.

"No, no no no." Khara said as she shook her head. "I do _not_ have fond memories from when I've been drunk." She said as she remembered one night in particular. The wolf heard Serana chuckle from her side. _Damn you Lydia,_ the wolf thought with a small smile. She would get her revenge one of these days on the woman that had told Serana about her little drunken adventure across Skyrim.

"Oh, come on now, boss. Wouldn't you like to put Delvin here in his place?" Vex asked as she leaned over the table.

Khara rolled her eyes. "I guess…" She mumbled as she looked at her cup, it did sound a little tempting. She turned her head to Serana for a moment to see what Serana thought about the situation.

Serana only smiled and nodded. "Go for it." She said with a grin, to see the wolf drunk could be entertaining.

"See? Everyone knows you can do it." Brynjolf told Khara.

"Alright, alright." Khara laughed out as she held her hand up in the air. "Bring the drinks!" Vex, Brynjolf and some other members brought them their drinks and waited for the competition to start.

"Ready to lose, boss?" Delvin said with a smirk as he grabbed a mug.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same, Delvin." She said back as she grabbed a mug as well.

"Alright you two." Vex said as she sat down at the table. There was a total of twenty mugs on the table filled with some strong stuff. "First one to empty ten mugs wins, if you pass out, you lose." She said as she looked at Delvin and Khara. "Get ready."

"Set." Brynjolf said as he looked at Khara with hopeful eyes, he might just make a bit of coin on this.

"Go!" Vex cheered as she slammed her hands down on the table.

Khara and Delvin brought their mugs to their mouths and began to drink. Khara winched as the liquor ran down along her tongue. "By the _Gods_." She said as she coughed and shook her head, making a few Guild members laugh. She didn't let the horrible taste pull her down though, she downed what remained in her mug and grabbed another, as did Delvin.

Both were seven mugs into their little competition now and it was starting to show. Brynjolf and Orgrim stood behind Khara and sent accouraging words to their friend as Vex and Thrynn did the same to Delvin.

"R-Ready t-to lose-" He hiccoughed. "Lose, boss?" He slurred as he was slightly swaying in his seat. Vex put her hands on the man's shoulder to keep him from falling off his seat.

"I _never_ l-lose." Khara slurred back as she grabbed another mug and began drinking from it, making Delvin do the same. Once they had both finished their mug Khara moved to grab another. Delvin tried to grab one as well, but his head fell down on the table.

"Did he just pass out?" Serana asked amused.

Thrynn and Vex moved Delvin a little and saw that his eyes were closed shut. "Aye, his gone."

"Oh, t-thank the gods." Khara praised as she let go of her mug and leaned back in her seat.

Brynjolf cheered along with some other members and patted Khara's shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

"Yeah, yeah. Can I go sleep now?" Khara slurred as she furrowed her brows, why was the room moving? She waved her hands a little to keep balanced, the chair was moving too now?

Vex looked at her Guild master and laughed. "Shit, she's completely hammered."

Brynjolf looked at Khara and chuckled before he looked up at Serana. "Do you need help getting her into her room?" He asked.

Serana smiled and shook her head. "It's fine, I'll handle it." She said as she got up from her seat and moved over to Khara. "Khara, come now." She reached out and grabbed the wolf's arms and pulled her up. They began to move over to the main room when Khara almost fell, but Serana was quick to pull the woman closer. "Got it!" Serana yelled when she heard Brynjolf, Orgrim and Vex laugh.

It did take a few more minutes than what Serana expected, but they managed to get in the room eventually. Serana walked Khara over to the bed so that the wolf could sit down. Serana kneeled down to untie the wolf's boots. "You know Serana, y-you're _really_ pretty." Khara told her.

"You're not so bad yourself." Serana said back amused as she got one boot off, she then began to work on the other one. She got the other boot off and helped Khara out of her shirt and trousers.

Khara moved back on the bed and managed to get under the covers. Her eyes looked up at the cealing, why was that spinning too? "Is the bed moving?" Khara slurred confused.

Serana snorted as she got out of her clothes and into the bed. "The bed isn't moving, Khara."

Khara heard Serana's voice and moved to lay on her side so that she could look at her. "Shouldn't be allowed…" The wolf mumbled.

Serana closed her eyes and smiled before asking. "What shouldn't be allowed?"

"To l-look at you, you're _so_ beautiful it almost h-hurts to look at you." The wolf slurred.

"You're drunk, Khara." Serana said with a chuckle, the wolf's rambling was adorable.

"Maybe-" Khara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "But d-drunken words are sober thoughts." The wolf said out proudly as she wiggled her body closer to Serana.

Serana only smiled as she opened her arms for the wolf. It was a little impressive that even when Khara was completely drunk, the woman still managed to let out clever words.

Khara nuzzled into a cool neck and smiled as she felt herself relax even more. Just before she was about to drift into sleep she managed to let out a few more words. "I love my S'rana." She mumbled before letting out a few more sounds, but Serana didn't understand what the wolf was saying, except the last few words. "…Going to take an arrow to the knee one day." The wolf slurred as she fell asleep.

 _Arrow to the knee_?Serana furrowed her brows as she tried to remember what that meant again, she remembers having a conversation with the wolf about that saying. Her eyes widened as she remembered what it meant. Khara wanted to, to marry her? Serana looked around the room as a warmth entered her chest, she shouldn't be this calm, she should be panicking, right? Right? Serana didn't find any feelings that didn't feel like they belonged in her, belonged to this discovery. She doesn't like priests and temples, but neither does Khara. The wolf had said so herself, she didn't want to have a big ceremony with lots of people and such, the wolf only wanted to exchange the words along with the rings. And that…That didn't sound too bad to Serana. _Not bad at all_.

Serana found her smile increase as time passed. She turned her head a little and pressed a light kiss on the wolf's head before she let herself be claimed by sleep as well. Her final thought was of Khara. If the wolf wanted to take an arrow to the knee, then Serana would gladly allow the wolf to have her wish.

* * *

Right, so imagine that a ball is being thrown between two giants. They kick it back and forth and even use their maces every now and then. The ball flies into rocks, trees and small streams. Then the giants get tired of it and give it to their mammoths who stomps on it and makes it fly so high in the sky that it takes a whole minute for it to touch the ground again. Right before the ball hits the ground however, an eagle spots it and grabs it, sinking it's razor sharp talons into it, thinking that it's something to eat. It finds out that it can't eat it whilst flying and drops it, making it fall into an ice-cold river. The ball gets thrown into sharp rocks and gets pulled underwater ever so often. Finally, it gets stuck between some rocks and then a wolf comes and sniffs on it before sinking its fangs into the leather and taking it back to its den.

Inside the den the ball gets introduced to the whole wolf pack. It gets pushed back and forth again and even gets to meet every single fang of every single wolf in that den. Time passes, and the abuse continues before a group of hunters comes into the den and deals with the wolves. A man spots the worn ball and picks it up, thinking that his son would like such a thing to play with.

The ball endures the cold winds that Skyrim had to offer for several days before it meets its new owner, a little boy. The boy thanks his father for the new toy and runs behind his house with the worn ball. Behind the house the boy grabs a wooden sword and ties the ball to a pole before practicing his sword arm. Over and over again the ball gets hit by the boy's sword.

That ball? Remember the whole journey it had been through, all the pain it had to endure, that ball? Imagine how it felt to be that ball, imagine how it felt to be kicked, drowned, bitten, hit. It would hurt like Oblivion, right? Correct. That ball is a pretty accurate description of how Khara's head feels like right now.

Khara groaned as she was waking up. Her head haven't hurt this much since, since that night with Sam.

"Good morning." A wonderful voice mumbled as Khara felt a hand run over her back.

Despite the pain she was currently feeling, she couldn't help herself. " _Great_ morning." She whispered back with a smile.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Okey dokey, a relaxing chapter is always nice to write. We got some intimacy, humor and lot of conversations. A trip to Fort Dawnguard is next along with the start of the next questline. The questline is going to be a mixture of a few different quests, just so you know.

I've been thinking about the next questline for a few days now and I also saw that a few of you would like to see a visit to Solstheim, so alright. I do need to play the Dragonborn DLC again though in order to see the art, locations, characters, dialog and such, but it shouldn't take too much time.

As always thanks for the reviews people! I love em'.

Take care now I'll all see you all again in a few days.

PS. I might have been listening to Lose yourself by Eminem while writing :3

-Zep


	25. Chapter 25

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 25_

 _The path to Winterhold_

"How's the head?" Serana asked as she ran her fingers through white hair. She had made Khara a potion to help with her headache and it had been about an hour since the wolf had taken it.

"Much better." Khara mumbled into the side of Serana's thigh.

Serana looked down at her wolf and smiled. She was sitting with her back against the headboard and Khara was lying with her arm over Serana's legs. Serana smiled because this was a position that Khara always took when ever Serana was reading, something she did often. The first time they had laid like this was way back in Whiterun which seemed like a lifetime ago. Khara placed a kiss on the thigh before she rolled onto her back, arms behind her head.

"I didn't say anything stupid last night, did I?" Khara asked as she stretched her whole body.

Serana's eyes left the book and looked over at Khara. "You said some things…-" Serana trailed off, her chest feeling that warmth again. "But what you said was flattering." She settled on saying with a knowing smile.

Khara moved her head to look at her. "What did I say?" She asked with curious eyes.

"That I was pretty and that it shouldn't be allowed to look at me." Serana said with a grin.

Khara furrowed her brows. "Why shouldn't it be allowed to look at you?" She asked.

Serana chuckled. "Because you said I'm so beautiful that it almost hurts to look at me." Serana said amused as she looked at the wolf.

"Oh, _Gods_." Khara groaned. "Oh, well. At least I'm an honest drunk." She smiled over her own words.

Serana rolled her eyes playfully at the wolf. She saw how proud the wolf was over her own words. "Try not to seem too pleased with yourself now." She told Khara.

"Hard not to when you're around." Khara said as she flashed Serana her most charming smile.

Serana tilted her head to the side as she looked at Khara with loving eyes. Khara's smile slowly faded at their eyes held each other. They had been doing this more often lately, just looking into the other's eyes. "Come here." Serana whispered and Khara slowly got up, making sure to keep their eyes connected as she moved to straddle Serana. Serana brought a hand to the wolf's chin and moved Khara's face closer. This was one of those incredibly soft kisses, they've had more of those lately too. Nothing is rushed as they both know that they have all the time in the world, and knowing that just feels absolutely amazing.

As the kiss came to an end, Khara moved her lips down to Serana's neck. Serana closed her eyes of feeling those warm lips on her. "When do we leave?" Serana asked in a low voice as she tilted her head a little to the side, allowing Khara to have more room to work on.

Khara smiled against the neck. "Couple of hours." She responded before she continued to worship the woman's neck.

Serana hummed as she brought a hand up to Khara's neck. "We should get dressed soon then and get you some food."

"We could do that, or we could do _this_." Khara dragged her fangs over the cool skin of Serana's neck.

Serana shivered at the feeling and nodded. "Do _that_." She whispered.

Khara sank her fangs into Serana and held her tighter as she fed. She groaned as she felt the red liquid roll down her throat. Why did Khara still eat normal food again? She swore on her life that it tasted even better now than what it did last time. She got so lost in her thoughts and in the sensations she was feeling so she didn't realize that she was leaning back, bringing Serana with her a she fell on her back. She heard Serana chuckle and removed her fangs.

Khara chuckled herself as she licked off some drops of blood. "Sorry, I got a little lost there." She said softly against cool skin.

"Happens to the best of us." Was Serana's response. She was about to ask Khara if she wanted to just lay like this for another hour, but she didn't get to do so as the wolf was already throwing a blanket over them. Serana smiled as she laid her head down on Khara's shoulder.

As they laid there, Serana drifted in and out of sleep several times, but she smiled every time because there was always this warmth underneath her, always two arms holding her tightly. After a little more time had passed, Serana felt a hand run up and down her arm, slowly waking her up. She hummed into the wolf's neck as she inhaled deeply. "Ready to get back out there?" The wolf whispered.

 _No._ Serana moved a little and placed a quick kiss on the wolf's cheek before rolling off of Khara. "I guess we can't stay in here all day,-" She looked over at Khara. "Again."

"Guess not." Khara responded. "But after Dawnguard, we can spend a whole week in bed if that is what your heart desires." Khara said with a smile as she turned her head and looked at Serana.

Serana looked at her for a moment before grinning. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"No? Let's get dressed then, the faster we get to the Fort, the faster we can get to Solitude." Khara said as she sat up in bed and moved to get dressed. Khara walked over to the table where all her armor was and got it on with the help of her telekinesis spell.

Once both had gotten dressed they left the room and made way over to the bar where Orgrim and Delvin would be waiting for them.

"How's the head, Delvin?" Khara asked as she and Serana sat down by his table.

"Oh, it's just fine, boss." Delvin said from where he sat. He and Orgrim were currently eating some soup, probably something the orc hade made them.

"Really? You don't have a headache from last night?" Khara asked with skeptical eyes.

Delvin let out a small laugh at that. "I haven't been hungover for the past seven years, practice makes perfect, right?" He said with a grin as he moved a spoonful of soup up to his mouth.

"I don't know if that's something to be proud of or not." Khara chuckled out as she shook her head.

"Oh, well. In this trade you take what you can." Delvin said, and the others laughed.

"Says the thief." Orgrim chuckled, and Delvin hummed as he ate.

As they sat at the table, Khara's eyes kept moving over to Serana, even though she tried not to. Serana was talking with Delvin about the Dawnguard and possible supplies that they could need. Blue orbs fell to the middle of the table as the sounds around her slowly started to sound distant. Khara furrowed her brows, but her eyes were now stuck on the table, she couldn't move them. She felt like someone was standing directly behind her, yet she heard nothing indicating that there was actually someone there, she just felt this strange feeling. _What's going on?_ She finally could move her eyes again and turned her head to look behind her, but just as expected, there was no one there. This was strange, maybe the alcohol wasn't fully out of her system yet? _Must be it._

Khara got up from her seat and walked over to the bar. "Hey, Vekel. Could I get a cup of water?"

"Sure thing." Vekel said a little carefully as he got what she asked for and placed the cup in front of her.

"Cheers." She said as she grabbed the cup and turned around to lean against the bar. She saw that Delvin and Orgrim were walking over to the exit whilst talking with each other. She saw that Serana was walking towards her while looking at her with a strange expression, one she hadn't seen too many times.

"Are you alright, Khara?" Serana asked carefully as she stood next to the woman by the bar.

"Yeah?" Khara said as she took a sip from her drink. "Why'd you ask?"

"Your eyes are burning." Serana said as she looked into blue flames.

"What?" Khara looked down into her cup and saw two brightly-burning blue eyes looking back at her. "I don't…But I feel fine." _Dovah zii, los daar hi?_ Khara asked her dragon aspect, but there was no response. _Wolf?_ Neither aspect answered her, her mind was quiet.

"Your heartbeat is normal. Do you feel ill?" Serana asked.

"No, I'm fine, I promise. I don't know why they're like that." The wolf said as she furrowed her brows. She didn't feel angry, scared or worried. She felt fine so, why was this happening? The wolf decided that there was no need to ponder over the unknown. "We should go and catch up with the others." She said as she placed the cup back at the bar. She looked into Serana's eyes and saw that the woman was skeptical. "I feel fine, I give you my word." Khara said in a low voice as she got a little closer. "If anything changes or I feel something, you'll be the first to know." Khara said as she looked into those orange eyes.

Serana kept their eyes connected for a few moments longer before she gave a small nod. "Alright." She said in a low voice.

Khara offered her a small smile and gently took Serana's hand in her own, not bothering if anyone sees, she's the bloody Guild Master after all, she can do as she pleases.

They got out and into the streets of Riften before they caught up with Delvin and Orgrim. They walked out the main gates and got their horses by the stables.

They talked a little while riding and Khara felt a pair of eyes on her most of the time, she knew that Serana was watching her. This felt strange, not being able to talk with her aspects. Her mind felt empty, abandon, like an endless void of nothingness. She whispered words into it, but no words came back her way, not even a sound. She gave up after a little while, maybe she had upset them in some way? Her thoughts came to and end when she could hear new heartbeats approaching them. She heard footsteps and jumped of her horse right away, drawing her Blade and facing where the beating sounds were coming from. Maybe a fight would awaken her aspects?

Orgrim and Delvin stopped their horses while Serana too jumped off her horse and moved to stand next to Khara.

"What is it?" Orgrim asked, his eyes scanning the forest around them.

Khara inhaled through her nose and winched at the smell. "Bandits." She told them all.

Sure enough a group of people came into view after that word. They were all wearing some type of heavy armor and matching weapons. "Hello there people." One man said as he looked at them with a grin as his hands rested on his belt.

"Some nice-looking horses you got there." Another one said as he took a few steps to the side.

Orgrim huffed as he jumped off his horse and drew his two orcish axes, whilst keeping his eyes on the three men. "Do we really look like the type of people you'd mess with?" He asked them as he paced back and forth.

"What do you mean with that?" One of the men asked. "All I see is two lovely ladies-" He said as he winked at Khara and Serana. "A man who might be pushing fifty-" He looked at Delvin. "And an overgrown goblin." The other men laughed over the words of their friend as they got their weapons in their hands.

Delvin grinned as he turned his horse to face the bandits, there was six of them in total. "No one ever told you not to judge a book by its cover?"

"Don't think so, old man." The man said as he shook his head before he turned his head to look at Serana. His eyes roamed her form and he smirked to himself. "Dangerous to be traveling in the Rift with only two guards, ladies."

"Why do you assume they are our guards?" Serana said as she looked at him, a clever smile playing on her lips. "Maybe it's the other way around." She told him, he only laughed at that. Serana took some slow, elegant steps towards Khara and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder as she leaned closer to the wolf's ear, all while keeping eye contact with the bandit. "Shall we show him that we can handle ourselves?" She whispered to her wolf.

Khara turned her head slightly and smirked, it always was fun to make people regret their poorly made choices. Khara plunged her Blade into the dirt and took a step closer to the bandits while Serana began to walk to the side.

Orgrim looked over at the two women and began to move to the right of the group of bandits, ready to jump in if needed. Delvin was hovering his hand over his dagger, but he doubted that his help would be needed, he had known Khara for a while after all.

"You really couldn't be more unfortunate. I mean, out of all the people you could run into, you ran into us." Khara told them while supporting a smile.

"You don't look like much to us, lady." The man said as he narrowed his eyes at Khara.

"What if I told you that you had just run into a werewolf, a vampire, an orc warrior of a stronghold and a master thief of the Thieves Guild?" Khara asked with a smirk. Khara looked to her friends and smiled as she nodded before looking back at the bandits, a dark mist rolling around her feet. "You really should run." She told them in a sweet voice. She wasn't planning on transforming, she just wanted to let them see the dark mist, she just wanted to look more frightening to them.

The bandits looked a little spooked, but they still stood their ground, not sure if they had been told the truth or not. "That's enough chatting." The man said as he drew a dagger. "Hand over what you have of value and we'll let you live, after we take the horses, of course."

Delvin grabbed a knife off his belt and walked next to Khara. "Which one?"

"The one with the big mouth." Khara told him.

Delvin nodded as he looked at the man that Khara wanted silenced. "With pleasure." Delvin quickly made the knife fly through the air and imbed itself in the mans skull, right between the man's eyes. The bandit fell to the ground and some of them chose to take a few steps back.

"You _really_ should run." Serana told them, her new blade ready in hand and a spell fully charged in the other. Some of the men took her advice, but not all. Two brutes of Nords chose to stay behind with their fallen companion.

Khara took a few steps closer to Serana and grabbed her dagger. "Want to put those lessons to the test?" She asked Serana.

"Sure, have to start at some point, right?" Serana said with a grin as she walked closer to one of the men, Khara right behind her if she needed help. Orgrim too was approaching the men, he would take care of the other one.

Serana's grip on her sword tightened as she approached her target. He was wearing heavy armor and had a sword in one hand, he too looked ready to fight. Serana raised her sword a little and made her move.

"Watch his feet, they'll give useful information." Khara said casually. The man grunted as he looked down at his own feat before he just managed to dodge Serana's blade. He jumped to the side and blocked another attack. "Try grabbing his free arm or kick him on his left leg, looks like that leg is damaged or something."

"Shut your dirty whore mouth!" He roared as he changed his stance, this strange woman was telling his opponent all of his weaknesses. His words were rewarded with a punch to the face, a very painful punch.

"Nice one, you took advantage of him being distracted." Khara said amused.

Serana was enjoying this, the man gave her a decent fight. He blocked a few attacks and even tried to hit her a few times, to practice blocking and dodging was always useful. Serana swung her sword for his throat after having kicked his left leg, ending his life. Serana had little time to cheer over her first fallen opponent while wielding her new blade when the other man took a few steps towards her. She took a defensive stance, readying herself for another fight, but the man just fell to the ground, a orcish axe stuck to his back. Serana smiled as she looked at its owner.

Orgrim placed one foot on the man's back as he grabbed his axe and pulled it free from the man's back. "Well, that was entertaining." Orgrim said as he cleaned his axe with a rag.

"Always is when messing with bandits, did you see their faces?" Delvin chuckled as he walked over to a corpse and grabbed his knife. "Priceless."

Khara patted Serana on her shoulder. "I'm impressed." She said with a smile.

Serana turned to look at the wolf and smiled. "Thanks." She then looked deeper into those blue eyes. "Hey, your eyes are back to normal now." She said as she looked at the woman.

"Oh, alright. Maybe it was just the alcohol messing with me then." Khara offered with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, maybe." Serana answered as they all got back on their horses.

"Not much further now." Khara told the others.

* * *

"Halt." A man told them as he held up an arm at them. "The Dawnguard are not expecting any visitors, state your name and business." He said as he took a step closer to them.

Khara looked over at Serana and nodded to her. Serana smiled and turned her head to the guard. "Serana of Clan Volkihar, I believe Hestla or someone else have mentioned my name?" She asked him.

His eyes widened as he took a bow. "My apologies, my Lady. I did not know." He then opened the wooden gate for them. "Please enter, just follow the path and walk through the doors, Hestla, Garan and Feran should be inside." He informed them as he took a step to the side. He kept his head low as they walked past, not daring to look into Lady Serana's eyes.

They followed the path up to the Fort and saw how the vampires outside were working on putting up wooden walls around the Fort. Many looked at them, but in the second they saw Serana's glowing orange eyes, they lowered their heads.

"Looks like Garan have been busy." Khara said as she looked at the vampires, their armor was impressive. A mixture between steel and leather, and Khara could see that the steel was infused with silver. _Very clever._

"It would seem so." Serana commented as she too was looking around.

They walked up to the doors and opened them. They spotted Garan talking with another vampire close to the doors. Garan spotted them and took a bow before turning back to the vampire. "You are dismissed, Henjor." The man gave Garan a nod before walking further into the Fort. Garan turned to the group. "Welcome, my Lady, to Fort Dawnguard."

"You've been busy, Garan." Serana said as her eyes looked around the fort.

"That I have. You'd be pleased to know that we have already sent out some Dawnguards to do bounties and such, my Lady." Garan said as he gestured for them to follow him.

"We saw the armor, very impressive." Khara said.

"Yes, we had Hestla and some others to do some research on the old Dawnguard armor designs, the ones you saw outside are an exact copy, with some improvements, of course." They entered a room with a long table in the middle. "Why don't you sit down, and I will go and get Hestla, I am sure there is a few things we need to discuss." He said as he clasped his hand together. He received a nod from Serana and left the room right after.

"This place is impressive." Orgrim said as he looked around the room. The others sat down while the orc fell victim of curiosity as he walked around the room, taking it all in.

"Aye, even the Jarl's palace doesn't compare to this." Delvin agreed as he too looked around the room.

"Garan and the others have done a very good job, when I and Serana was here all that time ago, the place was a mess. Crates and barrels everywhere, cobwebs, the whole place was run down." Khara said as she remembered what it used to look like. "It actually looks like someone could live her now." She added with a small smile.

Footsteps approached and Serana turned her head towards the sounds. Hestla and Garan entered the room and walked over to them. "My Lady." Hestla greeted Serana and Serana gave a nod in return. They sat down at the table and looked to Serana.

Garan was the first to speak. "Let us begin then." He said as he placed his hand on the table. "All the vampires, as we previously mentioned, have accepted the terms and taken the blood-oath."

"We're still working on the armor for some of them, but most are ready. Once they're done reinforcing the Fort, then they will go and deal with the vampires." Hestla told them.

Garan looked at Serana and saw that his Lady had questions. "You have a question, my Lady?"

Serana looked at him. "How many people can the Fort provide for?"

Hestla and Garan looked at each other. "We would say around thirty, why?"

"We are sure to lose some Dawnguards at some point." Serana pointed out and Garan nodded, it was true after all, they were vampires, not gods, they too could die. "Perhaps we should recruit some of the vampires that the Dawnguard finds? Give some of them a third option."

"That would keep our numbers up, I agree with you, my Lady." Hestla said with a nod.

"Yes. I too agree. We currently have six Dawnguards out, all in the Rift for the moment." Garan told them.

"Good, place is crawling with vampires, if you know where to look." Delvin said as he leaned back in his seat.

That reminded Serana about something. "There is something else." Serana said and grabbed both Hestla and Garan's attention. "Our friend here, Orgrim-" Serana nodded to the orc. "Is willing to join us and help deal with the vampires."

Orgrim nodded and walked over to the table. "I live in the Reach and know the land well, I can help with finding the vampires that hides there." He said.

"Wonderful, we have been trying to clear it out, but there always seem to be another cave or camp that we miss." Garan told them. "You are with one of the orc Strongholds, I take it?" He asked the orc.

"I am." Orgrim said with a nod. "I come from Mor Khazgur."

"Very well, I am sure that your knowledge of the Reach will prove most useful." Garan said as he offered the orc a small smile. "Now there is something else." Garan said as he looked over at Khara this time. "If the information I was given is correct then you are the Archmage of the College of Winterhold, are you not?" He asked Khara.

"That's right, I am." Khara said with a nod.

"Then could you do us a favor? We all know that the Dawnguard are vampires, we also know that the citizens of Skyrim cannot be allowed to know this little secret. So, Hestla and I stumbled upon the idea of creating these enchanted rings, rings that will hide our eyes and fangs from mortal eyes." Garan explained.

"That's actually quite clever, and I'm guessing that you need someone to do these enchantments?" Khara asked with a small smile playing at her lips. The helmets could only hide so much.

"You'd be correct. Is that something you could do for us?" Garan asked her.

Khara nodded as she leaned back. "I myself aren't the most talented when it comes to enchanting, but I know someone who is, and he'll gladly do it." She informed him.

"Thank you, with our soldiers true identity hidden, we can fully concentrate on the task at hand." He said.

"Is there anything else that you need? We can have a carriage come here within a day's notice." Khara told them.

Hestla looked at Khara. "There are a few items that could prove useful." She said with a nod.

"Alright, why don't you go over what you need with Delvin?" Khara said as she gestured to her fellow Guild member. "He'll make sure it gets here." Hestla nodded and gestured for Delvin to follow her and the man got up from his seat and pulled out a piece of paper to write on.

"Anything else worth mentioning, Garan?" Serana asked from where she sat.

"No, my Lady, I don't think so." Garan said as he got up from his seat and grabbed a little bag from a table before walking back to them. "These are the rings." He said as he gave Khara the little bag.

"Alright." Khara tied it to her belt. "We ready to leave then?" She asked Serana.

"I believe so." Serana said as she got up from her seat.

"I will stay and accompany Delvin back to Riften, then help guard the carriage when that time comes." Orgrim informed them.

"Good idea." Khara said as she gave the orc a smile. She walked up to him and shook his hand. "I appreciate what you've done for us, Orgrim. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She told him as she looked into his eyes.

Orgrim chuckled as he nodded. "I will remember that, you two stay safe." He said as he pointed to both Khara and Serana.

"Will do." Serana said with a smile and a nod.

Garan walked them to the doors and spoke. "If anything of interest happens, I shall send a raven." He said as he opened the doors for them.

"Thank you. We'll get the rings back as fast as possible." Serana told him.

"Most appreciated, take care now, my Lady,-" he bowed to Serana before turning to the wolf. "Khara." He offered the woman a small bow as well.

Khara sent him a small smile before she and Serana walked out the doors. They followed the path down again and got on their horses once they had walked out the narrow path. As they began their little journey Serana looked over at Khara. "So, I finally get to see you as the Archmage."

"Oh, yeah. We haven't been there yet, have we?" Khara said as she looked over to Serana. "You'll like it, there are _so_ many books in that place. I'm pretty sure we have books about everything in our library." She told Serana.

"Interesting." She said. "So, what is it you do as Archmage?" Serana asked her wolf.

"To be honest, not that much." Khara said as she shrugged her shoulders. "They require my help in some matters, like stopping magical beings or helping them acquire magical artifacts, but that's about it."

"I read about the Great Collapse, many seem to believe that the College was responsible." Serana told her.

"Yeah, I personally don't know what to believe. But many don't like the College because they think that the mages were responsible, so we don't get many students, which means I don't have to be around as much." Khara explained.

"Who is leading the College when you're not around then?" Serana asked as she looked around, words couldn't describe how much she enjoyed watching all the beautiful colors that the Rift had to offer, it was so very different from most of Skyrim.

"A man called Tolfdir, he is actually the one who taught me most of what I know within the Alteration school. A very kind, humble man." Khara said with a smile, it should be good to see the old man again. "I'm sure that you'll enjoy talking with most of the people there, seeing to how incredible you are with destruction and conjuration magic." Khara said with a warm smile. "Wait, have you been there before?" She asked.

"I have actually." Serana said with a proud smile. "Mother often traveled there for her work."

"Amazing, how was it back then?" Khara said with excitement that clearly could be seen and heard in her voice and eyes.

"It was impressive, both the town and the College. I was never allowed into the College itself, but Mother was, and she always said that it was spectacular." Serana said with a smile as she remembered how amazed her mother was over the College.

"I keep forgetting how old you are at times." Khara said as she looked down at the ground. "It's impressive, you know. How well you take the changes." Khara said as she looked over at Serana and offered he woman a kind smile.

Serana smiled at the compliment and winked to the wolf. "So, are we going straight to Winterhold or should we take a break somewhere? Just thinking about the horses."

"We should take a break, and you can choose where we do that. We got three options, Nightgate Inn, Braidwood Inn in Kynesgrove or the tavern in Windhelm." Khara said.

"Can we stay in Windhelm?" Serana asked, excitement showing in her eyes.

Khara chuckled. "Of course we can." She said with a loving smile.

Serana beamed at her wolf. "I've always wanted to see the City of Kings, I've read so many books about it."

"I hope it lives up to your expectations then, just keep in mind that some of the people who live there can be…Intolerant to newcomers." Khara told her. "They just don't like outsiders and immigrants, many within the city wants to increase the taxes for the Dunmer that lives in the city because they believe that the immigrants are more of a burden than a benefit." Khara explained.

"I can see why some would think like that, I take it not many in the city can see the situation from the elves perspective?" Serana asked.

"Afraid not, there are some of course, just not that many." Khara said as she looked around them. "It should be interesting to see how the city is doing though, because of what happened to the Emperor and all."

"Yeah, do you think that the Rebellion with vanish with the arrival of the new Emperor?" Serana asked, it was possible she guessed.

"I hope so, but it depends if Ulfric and his followers think that the new Emperor is good enough for them, which I fear might not happen. Most of them are Nords after all, we're a stubborn people." Khara said with a small smile.

"That's true." Serana agreed. "Are you known there?"

"Not really, I have only been there a few times, I don't think anyone will recognize me, but I'll keep my hood and mask on just to be safe." Khara's eyes moved to the clouds in the distance. "Looks like a storm is approaching." She said.

Serana moved her eyes up as well. "Let's hope we can get to Winterhold, or at least Windhelm before we get stuck in it." Serana was never a big fan of Skyrim's more harsher weather, she could appreciate its beauty, sure, but she preferred to do so from the warm comfort of that most buildings always seemed to offer.

As they rode they fell into a comfortable silence, they commented on some things that they spotted along the way, but remained silent for the most. And that was fine by both, a welcoming change to be honest. The party at the Guild had been fun, but there had been a lot of cheering, laughing, shouting, and roaring. It was a relief to hear the beautiful tranquility that the wilds had to offer once again.

After some hours they had arrived at the stables outside of Windhelm. They walked up the stone path and entered the city after they had been given access by the guards there. It was dark and there wasn't a soul out on the streets as they walked up to the inn. Once inside they got a room and quickly entered it and locked the door.

Khara got out of her armor. "Is it strange that I still feel the need to sleep as often as I did before you turned me?" Khara asked as she sat on the bed and let her back fall onto it.

"No, that's normal." Serana told her as she walked up to the bed and mirrored the wolf's position. "As time passes, you'll feel that need slowly fade a little. I think the longest I have gone without sleep was five days before I felt the need to rest my eyes."

"Only five?" Khara asked, she thought they could go longer without rest, much longer.

"Yeah, many believe that vampires can go weeks without sleeping, but that's just a myth." Serana explained. "We just don't need as much sleep as mortals do, a couple of hours does it for us." Serana said as she moved her arm, elbow on the bed while her hand was in the air.

Khara smiled and did the same with her hand and interlocked their arms, dragging her fingers along Serana's. "If we keep this up, we'll never arrive in Solitude." She said in a low voice, a small, sad smile on her lips as she spoke.

Serana looked at their hands and smiled. "I don't mind, as long as I get to have moments like these with you, then I don't care where we are or what we're doing." Serana said in a whisper, she smiled when she heard that her wolf's heart beat the tiniest bit faster at those words.

Khara smiled too, because she knew Serana had heard it, she just knew. "There is something I wanted to tell you." Khara said, and when she felt Serana squeeze her hand, she continued. "That dream you had, do you want to talk about it?" Khara said, when she didn't get an answer she spoke again. "You don't have to, it's just…It seemed like a bad one and sometimes it can help to just talk about it?" She furrowed her brows. "I just, I wanted you to know that if you wanted to share, then I'll listen, and I don't even have to talk, you know? I can just be quiet if that's what you want." Nothing, there was nothing said back to the wolf. Did she upset Serana? "I'm sorry, I-" She felt a squeeze.

Khara turned her head to see Serana looking back at her, a small smile on her lips, but her eyes, her eyes held so much more behind them. "It was about my mother." Serana whispered.

"Tell me about it?" Khara asked in a whisper.

Serana's eyes left Khara's as she tried to find the words to describe the dream, but it was proving difficult.

Khara saw that Serana was struggling to begin, so she asked something else. "Tell me about her?" The wolf asked instead this time.

Serana's eyes moved back to blue orbs. "My mother?" She asked.

Khara nodded. "I said it a while back, but I'll say it again. If you want to talk about her, then I'd be honored to listen."

Serana looked into those blue, non-glowing eyes and she felt safe, so very safe. "Valerica." Serana whispered. It felt strange to say the name out loud, a name that she had loved, then hated, then missed greatly. The name of her mother, yet a stranger in so many ways. Serana's trust and love for her mother had transformed into an endless number of questions and riddles over the years. Unanswered questions and mysterious riddles, never to be answered, never to be given light upon.

"Do you know what that name means?" Khara whispered back. Serana only shook her head. "It means _strong_." Her words made Serana smile a little. "Appropriate?" Khara asked as she brought their hands to rest on her chest.

"Very." Serana whispered back. "You didn't want to get on Mother's bad side." Serana said with a small smile, memories coming back to her.

"She was strict?" Khara asked as she looked at the woman next to her.

"Yes, there was even times when Father would turn tail." Serana chuckled and Khara joined in. "She could be fierce, but she never crossed the line, and for that she was greatly respected." Serana said as she looked up at the ceiling.

Khara looked at her and squeezed her hand. "Tell me more about her." The wolf asked a she could see that Serana was enjoying talking about her mother.

"She was _so_ smart, Khara. She always had everything planned, she never overlooked anything, no matter how small the task was. Everything she did was done with such care and precision." Serana said as she gestured with her free hand.

"She took pride in her actions." Khara pointed out.

"She did." Serana said with a nod.

"You were close?" Khara asked carefully.

Serana looked at her wolf. "We were, but the time before I was sealed away was different, she kept me at a distance, never letting me get too close. I was confused, because I didn't understand why she would do that, but I understand now." Here comes that heavy feeling that settled in her chest. "She was trying to protect me." She whispered. "And that is what makes me so angry about the whole thing. Those last weeks I was awful to her for making me feel so alone and confused." A few tears were rolling down her cheeks now. "I felt so rejected by my own mother, do you know how that feels like?" Serana's eyes then widened. "Khara, I didn't mean-"

"That's quite alright." Khara interrupted her with a soft voice as she moved her hand to remove the tears rolling down Serana's cheek. Khara moved closer and placed a kiss on Serana's forehead.

Serana moved a hand and kept the wolf close. "I wish you could have met her, she would have liked you."

"Why do you think that?" Khara wondered, would Valerica approve of her?

"You're strong, responsible, clever, you would have earned her respect in no time." Serana said with a soft voice.

"Because I got common sense?" Khara asked with a small chuckle.

"Because when you see something, you don't just stand around, you take action." Serana explained while looking at the wolf with loving eyes. "Not many do that."

Khara smiled at those words. "I wish I could have met her too." Khara said with a soft voice.

"Yeah?" Serana asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, I would like to thank her for raising such a wonderful daughter." Khara said with a smile.

Serana closed her eyes and moved closer to Khara at those words. Khara moved her arms and held Serana close. "Thank you." Serana whispered into her neck.

"No, thank _you_ , Serana. For telling me, for sharing." The wolf whispered back. Khara held her for some time, she let Serana have time to calm herself, to let the memories of the past to settle down. When she felt Serana relax more in her arms she spoke again. "Do you want to sleep?" She asked as she rubbed the woman's back.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Serana said as she sat up in the bed and started to undo her boots.

They got undressed and moved to lay under the covers this time. Khara was on her back while Serana was rolled into her side, face neatly hidden against a warm neck. Khara held her close as she ran her finger through Serana's hair, slowly sending the woman into a deep sleep. The wolf knew how tiring talking about the past could be, she knew what it felt like and she hoped that she had managed to remove some of that weight on Serana's shoulders, some of the weight in her chest.

Serana had done the same to her, so it was only fair to do the same back, but that wasn't the reason for why Khara had asked Serana about her dream, about her mother, no. She had asked because she was Serana's, and Serana was hers. As long as the wolf was breathing, she would always let Serana share her burdens, the thoughts that held pain behind them, the feeling that didn't fade over time, and the wolf would do that proudly, always. _Always_.

* * *

It was morning, or it felt like it was the morning, Serana didn't really know, but there was this faint sound of a lute being played. A bard was probably playing to the people enjoying their breakfast. She hadn't been awake for long, maybe an hour, maybe two, she really couldn't tell because whenever she looked at the peaceful expression on Khara's face, the sense of time just vanished. She probably should stop staring soon, it was probably starting to become a little weird. _Maybe, but…_ She moved a hand closer to the wolf's face, and so very gently, she ran her fingers over the warm skin.

Khara was waking up to feel featherlight touches across her face, her forehead, her brows, cheek, nose, lips, chin, everywhere. She scrunched up her nose the tiniest bit and could _just_ hear someone trying to keep their laughter quiet. She furrowed her brows for a second as she tried to remember where she was. _Windhelm, the tavern, in a room, in a bed with…_ She inhaled through her nose and smiled. _With her_. "S'rana." She mumbled, her voice in the same state as she was; not fully awake.

She didn't get a single sound in response. The only thing she got was to feel a single finger run down from her forehead and to her lower lip. If felt good, it tickled the tiniest bit, but it felt _so_ good, she had to smile, she couldn't _not_ smile. She felt more fingers now, they moved up and down her cheek in slow movements. She could stay like this forever, just like this, in this very bed, till the end of time. Wait, no. That was a lie. Khara opened her eyes and was met with those beautiful orange eyes. _Now I can stay like this forever_.

Serana moved her hand to Khara's hair and twirled some around her fingers. "How are you so beautiful?" Serana whispered, seeing Khara in the morning was one of her favorite things, the wolf looked so very peaceful.

"You should look into a mirror, I'm nothing compared to what you'll see there." Khara said in a low voice, Serana's touches was making it hard to stay awake. She did however, manage to send Serana a small, sleepy smirk. "But close you eyes and listen to yourself, then you'll know real beauty." Khara said as she moved a hand to gently run her fingers through dark hair. "In here-" Khara tapped her index finger gently against Serana's head. "Lays real beauty." She whispered. "A beautiful mind." She said as she let her hand run down the side of Serana's face.

"You just stole my line." Serana said with narrowed eyes and a small smile playing at her lips.

"Everything is allowed in love and war." Khara threw back at her with a small smile. "Or, so they say."

Serana hummed as she placed her hand in Khara's. "So they say." She repeated as she looked at their hands. "We should get up." Serana whispered, she didn't want to, but the world wouldn't simply pause while they were in their little bubble.

"We should, but…" Khara looked down at their hands too. "The world can wait a little longer." Khara said as she looked up again and got lost in those orange eyes.

Serana's eyes fell to their hands again as she placed her palm against Khara's, she saw the scar in the middle of the wolf's hand, she felt it. "I guess that in a way, I am the one to blame for that scar."

Khara looked down at her own hand. "I wouldn't say that, I was going to press that button no matter what, didn't matter if it would open a door that led to nowhere or if it held such a treasure like you in it, I can't say no to levers or buttons, my curiosity takes over." Khara raised her hand a little into the air to look more closely at the scar. "It's my favorite scar." She said with a smile.

Serana rolled her eyes as well as her body and laid on her back, a smile on her lips as she did so. She stretched out before turning around to lay on her stomach. She moved a hand to the wolf's cheek and moved Khara's head so that their eyes met. "We should leave, Khara." She said amused, the wolf really did enjoy just laying in bed, doing nothing.

"One hour." Khara said in a lazy voice.

"Ten minutes." Serana said back with a small smile.

"Forty minutes." Khara responded with a nod.

"Ten minutes." Serana said as she widened her eyes a little, her smile growing.

"I hear thirty minutes." Khara said with a small smile.

" _Ten minutes_." Serana told her with a stern voice.

"Twenty-five, going once." Khara chuckled.

"Ten minutes, Khara." Serana was laughing too at this point.

"Twenty." Khara tried.

"Ten." Serana told her again.

"Fifteen." Khara was running low now.

"Ten." Serana said as she moved closer to the wolf.

"Ten minutes…-" Khara paused and Serana narrowed her eyes at the wolf. "Plus two minutes."

"Ten minutes…" Serana said, her voice a little lower this time as she dragged her lips against warm ones.

"T-ten minutes and thirty seconds…" Khara said in a low voice.

"Ten minutes." She pressed her lips a little harder against Khara's now, making the woman inhale deeply. "Say it."

Khara swallowed. "Ten minutes." She finally agreed. Serana smirked, pleased that she had won. She rewarded her wolf with a soft kiss before jumping out of the bed and getting dressed. "But you said ten minutes." Khara whined from where she laid on the very warm, very comfortable bed.

"Yes, we _leave_ in ten minutes, but we need to get you in your armor and return the key." Serana said with a clever smile.

Khara groaned. "I regret this trade." She said as she stretched out on the bed, she laid there for a minute longer before getting up and getting her armor on. "Looks like the sun isn't up just yet, good. Less of a chance to run into the locals." She said as she looked over to the single window in the room.

Serana hummed as she got her boots on. "Do you want to grab some food?"

"No, I'm fine." She moved over and placed a quick kiss on Serana's head. "But thanks." She said as she grabbed her Blade and dagger. She looked herself over and nodded. "We ready?" Serana nodded as she placed her hands on Khara's back and gently guided the wolf towards the door.

They left Windhelm rather quickly, seeing to how the storm would soon be upon them. They got on their horses and set out for the last stretch of road before they would arrive at Winterhold. When they had rode for a little while, the wind was starting to pick up, but they would make it in time, of that they were sure. They met no beasts nor men along the snow-covered road, most must have gone and found shelter from the storm already.

"Once we're at the College, I'll have your cloak enchanted." Khara said over the howling, cold wind.

"Looking forward to it." Serana said with a smile, because even the Gods knew how much she disliked the cold winds of Skyrim. Serana turned her head to the horizon and could see some buildings. "Is that Winterhold?" She asked, it wasn't like how she remembered it. _The Great Collapse really were as bad as the books described._

Khara narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it's not much, but it's Winterhold all right."

Khara would have liked to see the town in it's prime. Not many knew this, but Winterhold was the capital of Skyrim for some time, that and the center of progress in the entire province. Sadly though, most of that respect and status fell in the Great Collapse too, just as most of the town did. As of today, the townsfolk don't have a lot of trust towards the College, many blame the College, not only for the Collapse, but also for most other misfortunes that happens within the Hold. People just like to put the blame on someone it seems like.

When Khara became Archmage, some of that hate vanished as she was well known throughout Skyrim. The people of Winterhold liked the idea of a Nord leading the mages, someone they could trust. And Khara and her fellow mages have worked hard to keep that small amount of trust well maintained.

They left their horses in the town's stables and payed the Stablemaster. They walked through the town and got on the bridge that would lead them to the College.

On the bridge they were met with a Altmer woman who looked at them and smiled when she recognized one of the women. "Welcome back, Archmage."

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Yet another quite quiet and calm chapter. So, we had a little visit with the Dawnguard and finally we made it to the College of Winterhold. In the next chapter I will finally show you what our next _big_ quest are going to be. As I said it's mixture of a few different quests and I might have to bend some of the lore of a specific item in order for it to make sense, but it shouldn't be anything too big.

There is a part of this questline that I'm not too excited about, but the end of it however, I am _very_ excited about that. I hope that I will be able to capture most of the characters personalities or at least make them somewhat close to how they are in the game. I will also try to keep the lore as accurate as possible.

I also feel the need to inform you all that on the 22 of this month I will begin working again so chapters will be released a little bit slower, maybe every 3rd day perhaps, we will see.

And I keep forgetting to write this but…Holy glowing cow shit, 200k+ words in the story so far, that's awesome!

So yeah, thanks for reading and I hope the new year have been good to you all so far, I'll see you in the next one.

-Zep


	26. Chapter 26

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 26_

 _The College of Winterhold_

"Good day, Faralda." Khara greeted the elf as she and Serana got closer. "Have they made you stand guard again?" Khara pitied the woman at times, she would be sure to remember that some of the other members could stand guard at times or at least accompany Faralda. Faralda was the very first person that Khara had met that was a member of the College. She remembers their first meeting well, as if it had happened only a few days ago. Faralda had asked Khara of what she had to offer the College and Khara had simply replied with her being the Dragonborn. After a quick demonstration of a shout, the wolf had been given the full tour of the College, gotten mage robes and become a member all within the short time of an hour.

"It would seem so." Faralda said as she hugged herself, it was so very cold. "I normally don't mind, but under these conditions…I would prefer other tasks." She told them.

"Come then, if anyone protests then tell them that I dismissed you. No one are to be outside in weather like this." Khara said as she gestured for the elf to walk in front of her.

Khara's eyes fell to the College. She remembered when she had first arrived here, she can't say that she had enjoyed it all too much, but it served its purpose, it kept her busy. She had learned quite a bit about magic and made powerful allies while working her way up the ranks within the College. She never would have believed that it would be her that would become Archmage, but life is full of surprises. She had been given the title of Archmage not because of her knowledge of magic, but because of her actions.

Faralda smiled as she began to walk back to the College. "Is this a new student?" She asked as she nodded a greeting to Serana.

Khara chuckled as she shook her head. "No, she's not. This is Serana, and just like you, she is extremely talented within the Destruction school." Khara said as she looked at the two as they walked. "I'm sure you two could learn a few things from each other."

"You can summon and cast master spells?" Faralda asked Serana, a small smile visible on her lips.

"Yes, I have been training Destruction magic for a very long time." Serana told her. _A few centuries actually,_ she added in her mind. As they walked over the bridge, Serana's eyes kept moving back to the town, or what remained of the town. Winterhold was so, so _small_ compared to what it used to be. Her mother would have hated it to see it in such a state, of that she was sure.

"Finally, someone I can have decent conversations with." Faralda said with a smile. "Not many within the College knows too much within that school of magic."

"Haven't any of the students progressed within that school yet?" Khara asked as she furrowed her brows. She was sure that the students had to have some knowledge about all the schools of magic at this point.

"No, only J'zargo, but he is too stubborn at times to take advise from others." Faralda said as she looked back at Khara.

"That's a shame, his own pride is holding him back." Khara said as they got closer to the College's doors.

"That it is, maybe you could talk some sense into him." The elf asked.

"I'll see what I can do, but that Khajiit is almost as stubborn as a Nord." Khara said with a small chuckle as they opened the doors and entered the College. The Khajiit was headstrong and to some degree, arrogant, but he was talented and knew how to control the magic for the few spells he knew.

"Thank you for letting me out of that storm, I will go and see if Urag needs help at the library." Faralda said as she moved over to the stairs.

"Aye, you do that." Khara told her before the elf vanished up the stairs. Khara then turned to Serana and smiled when she saw Serana's eyes looking around, taking it all in. "Anything like you expected?" She asked in a low voice.

Serana looked at her for a moment before she continued to look around. "It's just like Mother had described it." She said with a smile. "It's fascinating, I can feel magical currents all around us, inside the stone walls, in the floor, the ceiling, everywhere, it's stunning." Should have guessed that the College built by Shalidor himself would have such raw magical power within its walls.

Khara smiled back at her and turned her head when she heard someone approach, she smiled once she saw who it was. Her smile however, faded when she saw that the old man wasn't mirroring her. "What's wrong, Tolfdir?"

"I just had a raven sent for you, _your_ raven." Tolfdir told her, his voice filled with worry as he spoke.

Khara's face fell more at that. "Oh no…" She then quickly turned around. "Maybe if we open the doors it won't-" Her words were interrupted when a window in the main room shattered, leaving small glass pieces all around the floor, along with a black raven. "Gods damn it." She sighed as she looked at her raven. It was flapping its wings, moving around in small circles on the stone floor before it managed to get up on its feet. Khara raised her hand for it and it flew towards her and landed on her hand.

The purple light was in the raven's eyes again and this time, Serana spotted it. "You weren't kidding when you said that he is enchanted." Serana said as she walked a little closer to the wolf.

"Yeah." Khara got the letter out of his little backpack and the raven jumped up to sit on her shoulder. Khara's eyes roamed the letters and looked up at Tolfdir when she was done reading. "You need my help with a magical artifact?" She asked him.

"Yes, I was informed only a few hours ago, the person with the request didn't want to write too much down on the paper. She should arrive before the sun sets, but I fear that she might be delayed due to the storm." Tolfdir said as he looked out some of the windows. He saw that some of his fellow mages were already working on fixing the broken window, it wasn't the first time one of the College windows had fallen victim to the Archmage's raven.

"I think you're right, you'll inform me when she arrives then?" Khara asked Tolfdir.

"Of course. In the meanwhile, I will be with the students. If you have time, why don't you join us later?" Khara gave him a smile and a nod before he walked out the doors and into the storm.

"Alright, let's get these rings and your cloak enchanted then." Khara said as she took Serana's cloak off her and walked over to the main room. By one of the benches sat a man, currently lost in a book. "Sergius." Khara greeted as she stood next to the man.

"Ah, Archmage, it's been a while." He said as he moved a little to the side, allowing both Khara and Serana to sit down. "Now to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, he knew the Archmage a little and was familiar with the tone of the woman's voice, she wanted something.

"I have a task for you." Khara said as she handed the man the bag of rings and the cloak.

"Now then, what enchantments do you need?" He said as he inspected the rings.

"The rings are for some vampires, I need the rings to hide their eyes and fangs. The cloak needs cold resistant and warmth." She told him.

"Vampires, eh? Don't worry, I don't need to know anything else." He then got up from his seat and looked down at Khara. "Are you in a hurry?" He asked, enchanting all of these could take some hours.

"I guess not, we're here for as long as the storm is, but if you could enchant the cloak first, I'd appreciate it." Khara said as she offered the man a smile.

"I will do that then. I'll come find you when it's done." He said with a nod. Khara knew how much Sergius liked enchanting, the man wouldn't even ask for payment and that is rare in Skyrim, very rare.

Khara leaned back against the stone wall and took a moment to think. "We're never getting to Solitude." Khara said as she closed her eyes. For every step they took, her home only seemed to get further away.

Serana looked over at her wolf and nudged her shoulder with Khara's. "I don't mind." She reminded the wolf. "Plus, who are we to say no to a little adventure? We wouldn't be able to spend long in Solitude before we would get bored anyways." Serana pointed out with a grin.

Khara chuckled at that, because it was true. "You're right. We wouldn't fare so well in a calm and quiet life, would we?" She asked as she looked over at Serana.

"No, we wouldn't." Serana said back with a smile.

Khara nodded. "At least we can take it easy until this person who needs our helps gets here." She then turned to look at Serana. "Would you like to accompany me and see how the students are doing, my dear?" Khara asked with that snobbish voice as she got up from her seat and offered Serana a hand.

"Yes, it's always entertaining to see novices try to cast spells that are beyond them." Serana said with a smirk as she accepted the offered hand. Young and lacking minds would always cast the most interesting spells from Serana's experiences.

Khara released a small laugh as she pulled Serana up and nodded her head in agreement, Serana did have a point. "Feel free to show the Khajiit what master level spells looks like if he get's a little too cocky." Khara told the other woman.

"Oh, I most definitely will." Serana told the wolf as they went back outside. They followed the short path that would take them to where the students resided within the College. The cold wind gave them motivation to walk faster and they found themselves within cover from the storm in only a matter of a few seconds. The warm air hit them as the door closed itself behind them, the smell of soup, a fire and flowers used to create potions also reached them as they took a few steps further inside the building.

Khara spotted Tolfdir talking with J'zargo and Onmund over by a table, she also saw that Brelyna was sitting by herself, nose hidden in a book. For the moment, J'zargo, Onmund and Brelyna are the only students, as far as Khara knows, some new ones might have joined, but either way Khara was glad that there weren't too many students. The reason for this is that with so few students, they could progress a lot faster as they would always have access to the more advanced members of the College. Each student could always ask a question in the second it came to their mind and have an answer right away. It was one of the few perks of having almost an entire people dislike the College and its mages.

Tolfdir looked up and smiled to Serana and Khara. "Archmage, could you help us with a matter?" He asked as he gestured for them to come closer.

"What is it, Tolfdir?" Khara asked as she stood next to the man.

"When it comes to magical uses, what do you think is most important?" He asked as he held a hand under his chin.

"That is quite the question…" Khara said with a nod as she thought about it, she then turned to Serana. She was sure that the woman would have some wise words to share with them. "What do you think, Serana?" She asked.

"I would say respect and understanding, along with caution." Serana told them without a second thought.

"Precisely." Tolfdir said as he turned to look at J'zargo. "Now you've heard it from two sources."

J'zargo released a small, frustrating hiss before he spoke. "J'zargo doesn't have time for such things if he wishes to become a more powerful mage." The Khajiit said as he looked at Tolfdir.

"You should listen to Tolfdir, J'zargo. Magic is a tool, but just as most tools, if it is used without care, without thought, then it will do more harm than anything else, to both the wielder and its surroundings." Khara told the Khajiit.

"But the Archmage haven't even mastered the school of Destruction, J'zargo need someone who knows master spells to show and teach him." J'zargo pleaded. It was clear that the Khajiit favored action over words and lectures. He wanted to _see_ spells, not read about them.

"You're right, but my friend here has." Khara patted Serana on the shoulder. "Perhaps if you ask, she would be willing to show you a few things." Khara hinted and received a nod from Serana.

"Fine…-" J'zargo looked to Serana. "Perhaps you could show this one a few things." He said with a low voice.

"Sure, how about you tell me what you know so far?" Serana offered as she sat down next to J'zargo, Onmund too tuned in on the conversation, it was always good to have a new face around, along with new words.

"I think Brelyna might need help with something, Khara." Tolfdir pointed out.

Khara turned around and looked at the woman. "Yeah, I'll see if she needs my help." She left as she heard Serana and J'zargo have quite the conversation about frost atronachs and how they shouldn't be summoned inside small spaces.

Khara walked over to Brelyna and nudged the student's foot with her own in order to grab the woman's attention. "You don't want to sit with the others?" Khara asked in a low voice.

"What?" Brelyna said as she put the book down. "Oh, no that's not the reason. I have just been practicing these spells and I think I'm close to casting them successfully." The Dunmer woman explained. "Actually, if you have a moment could…Could you help me with something?" She asked Khara.

"Sure, that's why I'm here, right?" Khara said with a small smile. She knew that Brelyna could be a little shy and she wasn't all that confident, but Khara was sure that when Brelyna would be able to cast a few more spells successfully then that would change, so she would gladly offer her help.

"Right." She said back with a small smile. "I have been practicing a few new spells, but I need someone to cast them on to see if they're working as they should."

"And that's where I come in, got it. Nothing dangerous I hope?" Khara asked.

"Oh, no. No, they're quite harmless, its just Illusion and Alteration spells, I assure you. So, would you assist me?" She asked carefully, she didn't want to have to ask some of the other students and was glad that the Archmage was here.

"Sure, let's do this." Khara said as she nodded as she took a few steps back.

"Ah, good." Brelyna got up from her seat and looked at Khara. "Now you just stand there…" Brelyna raised a hand and summoned a spell, she held it in her hand for a moment before she casted it on Khara.

Khara's eyes widened as she stumbled back a few steps, everything looked odd, everything looked…Green. Khara looked around and saw that everything was green, she was green, Serana was green, the whole bloody room was green.

"Oh, now that…That wasn't supposed to happen…" The faint voice of Brelyna could be heard.

"Brelyna…" Khara said as she tried to keep her voice calm and steady.

Brelyna winced over the sound of the Archmage's voice. "Yes?"

"Why is…-" Khara inhaled deeply and swallowed. "Why is everything green?" She asked with furrowed brows, she wanted to be angry, but there was this calmness currently pulsing through her mind.

"I don't know?" Brelyna dragged out her words and grimaced over how she sounded, a Daedra would sound more trustworthy.

"You don't know…" Khara repeated. "Please tell me this isn't permanent." Khara said as she closed her eyes.

"No, no it's not, or it shouldn't be." The Dunmer told her, she had read so much about the spell now, there shouldn't be anything harmful with it.

"It shouldn't be? As in you don't know?" Khara asked with a slightly worried voice, she had fallen victim of student's spells before and did not wish for history to repeat itself.

"I'm sure it'll will fade in no time." Brelyna tried to calm Khara down. "When it fades can we, can we give it another try?" She asked.

"I…Let's just see how this goes first, yeah?" Khara said as she was already slowly walking away.

"Yes, of course." Brelyna said with a nod.

"Okey." Khara said as she turned around and walked over to the others, she sat down and waited.

Serana looked over at Khara and then back to J'zargo before her eyes widened and darted back to Khara. _Oh my…_ Serana burst out laughing at the very _green_ wolf that now sat by her table. J'zargo and Onmund joined in as well, even Tolfdir released a small laugh.

Khara only sat there with a single hand covering her eyes. "Yeah, just get it out of your system, just laugh away, I certainly don't mind." Her voice was so dry and even, if anything, it only made the whole situation that much better for those watching.

"J'zargo have never seen anything so green in his life, and he has seen a lot of green." The Khajiit laughed out.

Serana nodded as she looked Khara over. "How do you f-feel, Khara?" Serana asked as she tried to calm her laughter.

"You know, I feel this strange need to empower balance and harmony in the world." Khara said with a calm voice.

"Really?" Onmund asked, a hand covering his mouth.

"No, I want to punch something in the face." Khara said, her voice a few tones deeper this time. She hated this, green wasn't even one of her most liked colors, she only liked emerald green, like the gems or Serana's mortal eyes, this green was more like the puke kind of green, not very likeable. "It should fade." She said mostly to herself.

"It should fade?" Serana asked with a smile.

"It will fade." Khara said this time. Khara just sat there while the others continued to talk about the Destruction school and that. She did know when a pair of eyes landed on her though, because she would hear a snort or a quiet chuckle, but she tried to ignore it and focus on the better things in life. She thought about Odahviing, she had very good memories with her dragon brother. She remembered the first time they had flied together, it was beyond amazing. She remembered that they had landed in an open area in the Pine Forest. How she jumped down from his neck and landed in the grass. Grass. Green grass, as in the same green she was currently seeing all over, the same green that she was currently completely covered in. _This is torture,_ she said in her mind.

 _Perhaps next time, you won't accept to be a test subject?_ Khara's eyes widened at the sound of her dragon aspect. _Where have you been?_ She asked _,_ she then heard her wolf too. _I tried to call for you earlier, but I got no response,_ she told them in her mind. _Krosis, we do not know, perhaps next time, try not to drink so much, Goraan gein,_ the aspect dragon told her. _Deal_ , she agreed with them. Gods this felt good, she was beginning to worry a little. Looks like her mind had just fallen victim to the beverages she had consumed back at Riften.

As a calmness entered her, the green effect left her, something that was greatly appreciated by the wolf. She looked over to her side and saw that Brelyna was already looking at her with hopeful eyes. Khara sighed as she got up from her seat and walked over to the elf. "I am so very sorry for what happened, Archmage." The woman apologized.

"It's fine, its in the past now, let's move on. You said you wanted to give it another try?" Khara asked, she tried not to let it show, but she was slightly worried that something worse would come out of the elf's spells.

"Yes, please. I think I know what I did wrong now." Brelyna said with a confident nod.

"Alright, just…Take your time." Khara told her.

"Yes, I am confident that it will work this time." Brelyna told Khara as she readied herself.

"Alright, let's do it." Khara said as she readied herself. She looked to the side and saw that Tolfdir, J'zargo and Onmund walking out the door. Her eyes searched the room a little more and saw that Serana was watching her with interest.

Brelyna nodded as she charged up the spell again in her hand. She aimed at Khara and casted it. As the spell hit Khara she was transformed into an animal, a cow to be exact. Serana's hand shot up to her mouth as she didn't want to interrupt Brelyna's concentration, but oh, this was priceless.

"Oh my. That isn't right." Brelyna said as she charged up the spell again. _You don't say,_ Khara said in her mind. The spell was casted again. "I can fix this!" The Dunmer said to the Archmage.

The spell hit Khara again, and she changed, just not into what she thought she would change into. She…She was a horse now. _Is this my punishment for being a bad horse owner?_

"I…I can make this better, I promise." Brelyna said again as she charged up another spell and casted it.

Oh, this felt a little similar. _Wait a moment_. Khara opened her mouth and barked. _I'm a dog, great_. She turned around and looked at Brelyna, she also saw that Serana was walking towards her. "This shouldn't feel too foreign for you, right?" Serana asked with a smirk as she bent down and patted Khara on her head.

Khara narrowed her eyes at the woman and released a small growl. She was not as pleased as Serana was. "This isn't really turning out the way I'd planned, I'll change you back, you have my word." The elf told Khara. She casted the spell again and when it hit Khara, she finally turned back to her normal self.

The wolf looked horrified, like she had seen the true horrors of this world. Khara kept her eyes stuck on the wall next to her, not a muscle in her body moving.

"Well…" Brelyna scratched the back of her head. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Khara slowly turned her head to the woman, her eyes seemed distant. "Let's never speak of this again." Khara said in a low, calm voice.

Brelyna nodded and spoke. "Agreed." The word left the elf's mouth extremely fast.

Khara then walked out of the room and out into the cold wind. She heard that Serana was following her, and that she suddenly gasped. Khara quickly turned around. "What is it?" She asked worried, Serana's face had a shocked expression on it. Was there danger nearby? A dragon?

"Khara, you have a tail!" Serana shrieked as she pointed at the wolf.

Khara's face went as pale as the snow around them and she quickly spun around to see it, but she stopped when she heard Serana's hysterical laughter. "Oh, no you didn't." She said as she tilted her head to the side and looked at the woman with serious eyes. She walked closer to Serana and the woman backed up against a wall with a hand covering her mouth. "I will make you pay for this, one day. And it will happen when you least expect it." Khara said as she pointed to Serana with a finger, damn this woman.

Serana only released a snort as she nodded to Khara's threat. The wolf rolled her eyes and couldn't help but hide her smile. She turned around and began to walk back to the main part of the College when she felt cool lips against her ear. "But you still love me." Serana whispered with a smile.

Khara sighed as she smiled. "I still love you." She said back.

* * *

Khara walked over to the door to open it after she had heard someone knocking on it. She opened the door and was met with Sergius. "Oh, that was ridiculously fast." Khara said surprised as she accepted the cloak and the bag of rings.

Sergius shrugged his shoulders and spoke. "The enchantment that you wanted weren't too difficult." He said. It was true, once one ring was enchanted all he really needed to do was to repeat what he had already done, a simple task for a master enchanter.

Khara shook her head at the man, a faint smile at her lips. "Thank you for this, I owe you." She told him.

"That you do, come see me if you need anything else enchanted." He said as he began to walk down the stairs again.

Khara smiled as she closed the door. She walked over to the table where Serana sat and placed the bag on the table while she put the cloak over one of the chairs. She grabbed one ring out of the bag and inspected it. She put it on and walked over to a mirror that hang on the wall.

"Does it work?" Serana asked as she put the book on the table and walked closer to her wolf.

Khara opened her mouth and looked at her fangs, they couldn't be seen. "Looks like it, or at least for my fangs." She said as she brought her hand closer to her face again. She then turned her body towards Serana as she removed the ring. "Give me your hand?" She asked as she looked at Serana.

Serana brought her hand to Khara and the wolf gently grabbed it. Her eyes looked down at their hands as Khara slowly put the ring on Serana's ring finger. She could feel Serana's eyes on her as she put the ring on her, this felt very…Intimate. A thrilling wave of excitement flew through the wolf's body. Khara then moved her eyes higher and was met with green, emerald green eyes.

"Does it work?" Serana asked in a low voice as she looked at Khara with interest, taking in everything the wolf did, her heartbeat, her facial expression, _everything_.

"Yeah." Khara said back in a similar tone as her eyes fell back down to their hands. Khara smiled a little as she removed the ring and held it in her hand. She held onto Serana's hand for a little longer before she allowed herself to let go. That, that felt good, really good. _Can wait to do that again._ Khara had this small smile on her as she moved back to the table. "Maybe you should have a ring with you?" Khara asked. "So that you don't need to have your hood on all the time." She explained.

Serana walked over to her and smiled. "Good idea, I'm sure Garan won't miss one ring."

Khara smiled and handed Serana the ring. "One rule though." Khara said.

"Oh?" Serana looked at her wolf with a raised eyebrow.

"You're only allowed to wear it when it's needed, in the second we get somewhere private or somewhere people won't mind, then the ring comes off." The wolf told her, she never wanted to _not_ see those beautiful orange eyes.

Serana smiled bashfully and nodded. "Deal." She told her.

They sat back down and began to talk of how Khara became the Archmage. "You know of the Eye of Magnus?"

Serana nodded. "The Atmoran settlers found it underneath Saarthal. I had a book about it back at Castle Volkihar, they had found the artifact during the excavation, but they didn't know what it was, so they tried to keep it buried." Serana said, she remembers reading about it.

"That's right. The Snow Elves found out about it and tried to capture it." Khara said with a nod.

"That was the Night of Tears, wasn't it? Ysgramor rallied his forces and fought them back."

"Yeah, anyways the Eye were hidden back within Saarthal in the end. When I first joined the College, we went to Saarthal to do some research and such." Khara told her.

Khara went on about how she and Tolfdir had found the Eye, how it had been transported back to the College and how Ancano had tried to use the Eye and how Khara was the one that stopped him. She told Serana about her adventure in Labyrinthian, the skeleton dragon, the dragon priest and the impressive number of undead within it. How she had managed to claim the Staff of Magnus and how she had used that very same staff to stop Ancano. She told Serana everything.

"Wait, you were contacted by the Psijic Order?" Serana asked surprised.

"Yeah, I was surprised as well when I found out who they were. They had told me from the very beginning that my actions would trigger a chain of events that couldn't be stopped." Khara said as she leaned back in her seat. "When it was all over, they told me that me becoming Archmage was the Order's intent from the beginning, all the way back to that day I was in Saarthal."

"Woah, have you heard from them since?" Serana asked as she slightly leaned over the table, curiosity getting the better of her.

"No, not a single word. The last thing they said was that they would safeguard the Eye of Magnus from those who would seek to abuse its powers." Khara told her.

Serana leaned back in her seat too and released a small chuckle. "You really have been through a lot, haven't you?" She asked with a smile, the tales of the wolf's adventures never stopped, time just continued to reveal more and more about Khara's experiences throughout Skyrim.

Khara chuckled. "I've been around, yeah."

Serana tilted her head to the side as she looked at the wolf. "It's impressive, all the things that you have done in so little time. I still find it hard that you're only twenty-four years old at times."

Khara snorted. "Do I look older than twenty-four?" She joked.

Serana chuckled as she nudged Khara's leg with her own. "You know what I mean." She then looked at Khara for a little while longer. "Tired?"

"A little, Brelyna's little experiment completely drained me I guess." Khara said and couldn't help but wince over the still very fresh memory. "I know what it feels like to be a bloody cow, that's not something I needed to know." Khara said as she closed her eyes. "Life would have been just fine without that knowledge."

"Remember Khara, all knowledge is power." Serana said, but she couldn't help herself as she released a small laugh. "You should jump in bed, there still might be a few hours before you're needed downstairs."

"Yeah." Khara got up from her seat and got out of her armor, leaving her in her shirt and trousers. She then looked at Serana. "Join me?"

Serana hummed as she got up too and grabbed a book. They moved over to the bed and got on it, Serana with her back against the headboard and Khara laying on her stomach close to Serana. With a cool hand slowly moving it's fingers up and down the back of the wolf's neck, Khara was considering never leaving this bed.

"Can I ask you something?" Serana asked as she put her book down in her lap and looked over at the wolf.

"Of course." Khara said with her eyes closed as she gave a small nod.

"Your name, did you pick it?" Serana asked as she continued to move her hand against warm skin.

"No, I didn't." Khara moved a little and opened her eyes. "I've just always known it, it's strange. I just know that in my soul that it's my name." Khara said, she really didn't know what else to tell. "From my very first memory, my name was the only thing that I knew."

"Yeah, would be nice if we could just ask the Gods and get an actual answer, wouldn't it?"

Khara released a small chuckle. "That would be nice, but the Gods are never that simple. Everything with them have to be done in riddles and such, they're almost like politicians, they never give you a direct answer to your questions." The wolf said.

"That's a pretty accurate description of how the Gods work." Serana said with a chuckle of her own.

A knock on the door forced Khara to leave the extremely comfortable bed, she walked over to the door and opened it. "The person who requested your help have just arrived." Tolfdir informed her.

"Alright, why don't you take her to the library and I'll come down in a minute?"

"Very well." Tolfdir said as he walked back down the stairs.

Khara closed the door and got over to where her armor was and got it on. "Looks like our mystery person have arrived." Khara said as she grabbed her Blade and dagger.

Serana got out of bed and walked over to her wolf. "Let's see what this is all about then." Serana said as she opened the door for Khara.

They walked down the stairs and entered the Arcanaeum, they spotted Tolfdir and a woman, a Dunmer woman sitting by a table. They walk up to them. "Now that we're all here, why don't you explain what it is that you need?" Tolfdir asked as Serana and Khara sat down. "Your letter mentioned that you needed help with a magical artifact?"

The Dunmer woman nodded before she spoke. "Yes, and not just any artifact, Azura's Star."

Tolfdir's eyes widened at those words. "A Daedric artifact." He said a little baffled.

Khara let her eyes roam the woman's clothes, it was so very clear now. "You're a priestess." She pointed out.

"I am, my name is Aranea Ienith." The woman said as she looked at Khara. "Lady Azura have given me a vision of her Star and that it's being misused."

"I take it this is where we come into the picture." Khara asked.

"Yes, I need help to retrieve it so that I can cleanse it." Aranea told them.

"Cleanse it? Is there something wrong with the Star?" Khara asked, this couldn't be good.

"Yes, Azura have told me that she feels a corruption from within the Star, for every second that passes, the Star becomes more unstable as those who has it, are doing vile experiments on it." Aranea explained.

"What will happen if the corruption is allowed to continue?" Tolfdir asked.

"The Star will start to crack and in the end, create a devastating explosion." The priestess told them.

"Do you know who has it or where it is?" Tolfdir asked her.

"I do. A man called Malyn Varen has it. I believe that you are familiar with that name?" The elf asked as she looked at Tolfdir.

"Ah, yes. I remember Malyn very well." Tolfdir said as he looked down at the table. "Do you know of him, Khara?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"I'm not surprised, Malyn was here quite some years ago, he was a student and he showed great promise." Tolfdir told her as he remembered the man. "Unfortunately, we had to exile him for doing unacceptable acts with soul gems, he had a fellow student killed and broke many other rules of the College. He had this theory that he could capture his own soul and place it in a soul gem in order to achieve a state of immortality, but he never found a soul gem powerful enough for his experiments." Tolfdir explained.

"That is why he has the Star, I fear that he seeks to make it a home for his soul." Aranea said. "I believe that it is his experiments that have caused the Star to become corrupted."

"Wait, he has achieved this? His soul is in the Star?" Khara asked with wide eyes.

"I do not know, My Lady have only informed me that the Star is unstable and need to be cleansed, but it is a possibility, yes." Aranea told her.

"Alright, where do we need to go then?" The wolf asked.

"I am not certain, Lady Azura only told me to go to a Fort that is surrounded by water, yet untouched by it. In the vision I could see a lake, and the Pine Forest." Aranea told them.

Khara leaned back in her seat and searched her mind for such a location. "There is only one lake that could be, Lake Ilinalta." Khara then looked at Aranea. "Do you know how to _cleanse_ the Star if we get it to you?"

"I believe so, but I won't know for certain before I see the Star for myself." Aranea said.

"If I get you the Star and if you don't know how to fix it, what then? The whole College will be at risk, the town too." Khara said as she looked over at Tolfdir, the old man nodded his head in agreement.

"If you can get the Star to me then I can promise you, Azura as my witness, I will at least be able to keep it stable." Aranea told Khara with a voice that held honesty to it.

Khara held the elf's eyes for a little longer before she nodded. "You better be ready for when we return then, and if anything goes wrong once the Star is in your hands, then I will hold you responsible." Khara told the woman as she and Serana got up from their seats.

"I expect nothing less, Archmage." The elf said.

"Good, we'll leave then. It shouldn't take too long." The wolf said as she looked over at Serana.

"But Lake Ilinalta is quite the distance away." The woman said with a little confused voice.

"It is, but that distance is easily traveled while in the air." Khara told her.

"You will call for Odahviing?" Tolfdir asked.

"I will. You two should prepare yourself, take a room and close it too, I don't want anyone else around the Star once it gets here." Khara told them.

"Of course, Archmage, I will get right on it." Tolfdir said as he got up from his seat along with Aranea.

"Good, we'll be back soon." Khara said as she and Serana left the room and went up the stairs. "The roof is big enough for Odahviing to land on." Khara told Serana.

"Okey, good. I was wondering why we were walking up." Serana said with a nod.

"Yeah, are you alright though? You were awfully quiet down there." Khara asked as she looked at Serana.

"Oh, yes I'm fine. I just didn't want to interrupt." Serana told her, but she felt the need to tell a little bit more. "That and I don't feel too comfortable around priest and priestesses, or temples for that matter."

"Alright." Khara said as she nodded. "When we get back, you can wait in my chambers if you want?" She didn't want for Serana to feel uncomfortable.

"No, it's fine. As long as you're with me, I should be fine." Serana told her wolf with a smile.

"Okey, but…" Khara stopped right before she was about to open the door that would take them to the roof. "Let me know if that changes, alright?" She told Serana as she looked at her.

Serana smiled at her for that, she took a step closer and brought a hand up to the wolf's cheek. "I will, Khara." She placed a sweet kiss on the wolf's lips. "Thank you." She whispered against warm lips. She felt the wolf smile into the kiss before she pulled away.

Khara just looked at her for a little moment, a smile on her face and her eyes filled with affection. The wolf then opened the door and was met with cold wind, the storm had passed, but the wind hadn't fully settled down yet. They walked to the middle of the roof. Khara inhaled deeply and looked to the skies. "OD AH VIING!" The shout echoed long after the words had passed the wolf's lips. "How's that cloak working out for you?" Khara asked as she turned to look at Serana.

Serana looked at the wolf with a smug look on her face as she had fully wrapped the cloak around herself. "It's working pretty well, it's warm and I almost don't feel the coldness of the wind." Serana said back in a content voice.

Khara chuckled as she looked around "I'm glad." She said back as she heard her brother approach them from the skies.

"Greetings, Khara and Serana." Odahviing greeted as he landed. He turned his head to the two women and took a few steps closer.

"Drem yol lok, Odahviing. Nii los kul wah koraav hi." Serana told the dragon with a pleased smile on her face.

Odahviing's eyes widened the tiniest bit as he brought his snout closer to the woman who had just spoken in his tongue. "Hi tinvaak ko fin tinvaak do Dovah?" He asked surprised.

"I don't know too much yet I'm afraid." Serana told him as she placed her hand on the warm, scale-covered snout.

"And yet you pronounce the words with great precision, you show great promise." He said as he lowered his head as well as his body to the floor. He then looked over at Khara. "You teach her our language?" He asked.

"Oh, she learns it herself, I only provide the books." Khara said as she smiled at Serana.

"Impressive. Now, where do you need to be?" He asked as he allowed the two women to climb his neck.

"To the Pine Forest, Lake Ilinalta. There should be a fort somewhere in the lake." Khara explained as she and Serana got on him.

"Geh, I know of what you speak." Odahviing said as he moved over to the edge of the roof. He spread his wings and felt how the wind felt against him, he loved this. He jumped off and flapped his wings as he climbed ever so higher into the air. The area of Winterhold was still covered in dark and grey clouds, and the sun was till up so, he got an idea. "Ready too see what only dragons are allowed to?" He asked.

Khara smiled bashfully as she knew what he was talking about. "Geh! Show us!" She yelled with a smile.

Odahviing chuckled as he aimed for the clouds, his wings working hard to bring them closer. They could see the town beneath them slowly fade as clouds swallowed them whole.

Serana narrowed her eyes as she moved her hands to Khara's shoulders, she couldn't see a damn thing in all this. The only sound was that of the wind and the wings of Odahviing, all else was quiet.

They continued to fly through the clouds and then, when they had finally beaten the clouds and were above them, _then_ they saw it. Beauty in it's purest form. They saw the sunset, they saw how its light was slightly being reflected on the clouds just underneath them, and it was _so_ beautiful. The wind was gone and Odahviing's wings hovered in the air as they glided forward through the skies. The sky was purple and slowly faded into a warm orange as closer as it got to the sun.

Serana swore that in this moment, there was nothing else in existence except the three of them, the skies and the sun. There was no other sounds or anything else that stood out. White clouds that looked like they were made of the purest materials were at their feet. In this moment, Serana could see why Khara liked dusk as much as she did, she could also see why orange was an admired color of the wolf. In all her years, all her life, Serana had never seen anything like it. Serana moved her hands down to Khara's waist and rested her head on the wolf's shoulder, she never wanted to leave.

Khara smiled as she held onto the spikes of Odahviing with one hand, and held the other one over Serana's hands. Khara would make sure to thank Odahviing for this, because if Khara turned her head the tiniest bit to the side, she could see the most beautiful smile she had ever had the honor of laying her eyes upon.

They followed the sun as they flew and Odahviing lowered one foot down into the skies and left a trail behind them as he slightly swayed to the sides in a slow and delicate motion. "Take it all in, we will have to bid our farewell to it soon." He told them, and after a few moments he slowly started to descend back into the clouds.

As they moved through the clouds and they could start to see the water that made up Lake Ilinalta. Khara's eyes scanned the water and spotted what she thought to be their desired Fort. "There, Odahviing." She said as she looked at the Fort that was well on it's way to be fully swallowed by the lake.

"Geh, I shall land." He said as he flew towards an open area right next to the fort. He landed with ease and lowered himself so that the passengers could easily get off of him. Once Serana and Khara's feet were firmly planted on the ground, he prepared himself to take to the skies once more.

Khara moved over to his head and placed her hand on his snout. "Will you stay close?"

"Geh, I will wait for your call, briinah, proudly so." He told her.

Khara smiled at him as she bent down a little to place a kiss on his snout. "Thank you for sharing that view with us, zeymah." She told him, and the dragon flashed his teeth to her, it was always entertaining to see him try to form a smile.

"Hurry now, I shall take watch from the skies." He said as he raised his whole body and stretched out his wings.

Khara smiled at him one last time before she walked up to Serana. They took a few steps back as Odahviing took to the skies again. They saw how his red form was being swallowed by the night sky. Serana turned to the water and spoke. "Do you think we'll be able to enter?" She asked with a skeptical voice.

Khara turned around to look as well. "Let's find out." They walked closer to the sunken fort and saw a wooden path that led to one of it's towers. "That might be it." Khara said as she nodded to a trap door that was on the tower.

They walked over to it and kneeled down. Khara grabbed it's handle and pulled it open. "This does not look like a good idea." Serana said as she and Khara looked down to where the ladder would take them.

"You're right about that-" Khara then looked at Serana. "But that hasn't stopped us before now, has it?" She asked with a small grin.

Serana shook her head and smiled. "True, let's get down there." She said as she moved to climb the ladder. Once inside she looked around, her hand hovering over her sword and her mind ready to summon spells.

Khara climbed down right after her and jumped off the last bit of the ladder and landed next to Serana. They looked around and was for the most part only met with water, that and a skeleton. Khara huffed and pointed to the poor bastard that was chained up to a pole. "That's one way to greet your guests." The wolf didn't dare imagine what pain the owner of that skeleton had to go through. She then looked around and took a step forward, the water reached up to just underneath her knee. "Oh, we're bound to get wet." Serana snorted. "Oh, shut up." Khara chuckled.

Serana grinned as she looked around some more. She saw a door opening behind the skeleton and nodded to it. "Looks like that's where we want to go." She whispered.

Khara looked behind the skeleton and nodded. "Yeah." She grabbed her Ebony Blade, and with caution she walked through the opening. She summoned a detect life spell, but could see none, that was also the same result for her detect dead spell. "Looks clear." She mumbled.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Serana:** Drem yol lok, Odahviing. Nii los kul wah koraav hi. **– Greetings, Od** **ahviing. It is good to see you.**

 **Odahviing:** Hi tinvaak ko fin tinvaak do Dovah? **– You speak in the language of dragons?**

 **Other words:** Geh – **Yes**

Briinah – **Sister**

Zeymah - **Brother**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

We got to meet some of the members in the College in this one, always nice. I don't really have that much to write about right now to be honest, I will say that I liked this chapter more than the last however. We got to see Khara's raven for a moment and see how poor Khara got transformed into a few animals, I love that quest in the game.

I'm also very excited about the nest chapter as I get to introduce a character that I think will be very entertaining to write about.

So, this new questline might not seem that big and mighty, but rest assured my dear readers, it is a mixture of a few quests and I am looking forward to seeing what you think of it. As we progress throughput the quest, more parts will be revealed.

As always, thank you for the review people, I love em'.

Till next we meet!

-Zep


	27. Chapter 27

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 27_

 _The Woodland Man_

"More souls are needed for the star, the last one died before he could be harvested." A hoarse voice of a man could be heard.

Khara and Serana had made their way through what seemed like most of the Fort now, they had been met with a few mages, mostly just necromancers and their undead servants. Khara had casted her detect life spell a few times, but it never seemed to work, perhaps this Fort is under some magical protection spell? Something similar to what the Brotherhood had around their sanctuary.

Nonetheless, the fort held a certain beauty to it, green moss hanging down most walls and small waterfalls coming from most cracks. The light from the few torches gave the water covered floor a warm, yet mysterious look. The whole journey around the fort could be seen as enjoyable, was it not for all the mages that tried to kill them.

"We cannot take another villager from the surface so soon, the last thing we need is for the Jarl to send some of his soldiers looking for us." Another voice spoke, this one a female.

"Perhaps we can lure one of the local bandits into the Fort?" The man asked.

"And what, _you_ would do that?" The woman said back with a small laugh.

"Of course not, we can have some of the novices to do it." He offered.

The woman sighed. "I told you to have everything properly prepared. If you would have done as you were told, then we wouldn't need to send out our own students. We don't have time to go around the forest, looking for some poor fool that can be sacrificed." The woman said in an annoyed voice.

"We could just sacrifice another disciple then? I know of a few that wouldn't be missed by the others." The man said, his smirk could be heard.

The woman chuckled before she spoke. "Yes, pick out one of the disciples that have yet to progress with their necromancy."

"As you wish." The man responded, he was obviously very pleased with himself.

Khara looked around the corner and spotted the two mages, they were both sitting with their backs towards her. Khara shook her head, it was in times like these where she really missed her crossbow, she would be sure to get a new one the next time they entered a town.

Khara placed her Blade on her back and grabbed Nettlebane from her belt. She carefully entered the room and walked to stand behind a stone pillar. She charged up a paralysis spell in her hand and looked over at Serana, she sent a little nod, indicating that she was ready.

Serana nodded and moved to stand behind the door, hidden from view as she kicked the wooden box she was standing next to, hoping that the mages would come and investigate.

"Did you hear that?" The man asked as he stood up from his seat and turned towards the door opening.

"The disciples aren't supposed to be here." The woman said as she stood up from her seat as well. "Come, lets see who can't follow orders. Maybe they will be the lucky one to have their soul ripped out, saves us the trouble in fetching them."

The mages walked over to the door, one a few steps in front of the other. As they walked past the pillar, Khara moved so that they couldn't see her. When she was behind them she took a few steps closer and casted her spell on the man that was closest to her, he fell over and she grabbed him before his body met the stone floor. She then moved over his frozen body and raised her hand that held onto Nettlebane as she was about to strike the other mage.

Maybe it was a noise the she made or maybe it was just bad luck, either way, the woman turned around and dodged the dagger that was well on it's way to meet her throat. She casted a fireball on the wolf and hit Khara in the side of her thigh. The wolf rolled out of the way before other spells could connect with her. Serana jumped out of the door opening and locked on to her target, the target that had dared hurt her wolf. She already had spells charged up and ready, so when she saw the woman she released them. Lightning and ice magic knocked the woman out cold in the second it hit her, Serana then casted a fire spell so that the woman could see just how much it hurt for herself as it burned away her skin, ending her pathetic life.

Khara hissed as her hand hovered over her thigh, some of the leather was burned, the same could be said for her skin. "Bastard turned in the second I was about to strike." She said through gritted teeth as Serana kneeled down to inspect the wound. "It's nothing serious, just hurts like Oblivion." She told Serana.

Serana summon ice magic in her hand and placed the hand over Khara's wound. "How's that?" She asked as she held the hand over the wound, the cool ice helping calm the pain caused by the flames.

Khara sighed as she nodded. "Much better." She whispered, relieved that some of the pain had left her. "She was lucky, she managed to hit one of the few places that aren't covered by ebony." She said with a faint smile. "My luck…" She mumbled.

Serana smiled at her before she looked around. "Got any healing potions on you?" She asked her wolf.

"Aye, that I do." Khara reached over to one of her enchanted pouches and grabbed the desired potion. She opened the bottle with her teeth and drank some of it before she moved the bottle to hover over her thigh. "Can you? I might spill it all." No doubt the pain would make it difficult to keep her hand from shaking.

Serana nodded and grabbed the bottle and held Khara's leg down with one hand. She poured the red liquid over the wound and grimaced by the low growling sounds her wolf was making. "It will feel a little better soon." She told Khara as she patted the wolf on her uninjured leg.

"Yeah." Khara whispered as she leaned back a little. She held her dagger out to Serana. "Care to finish that one over there?" She asked as she nodded to the paralyzed mage on the floor a few feet away from them.

Serana grabbed the dagger and did as Khara had told. "There can't be much more now, right?" Serana said as she removed the blood on the dagger before she handed it back to Khara and helped the wolf up.

"I hope not. Fighting mages are tricky." Khara said as she tried to stand on her damaged leg. It didn't hurt too much, so she gave Serana a nod. Khara then looked over at a corner and spotted a chest. "Oh, sweet." She said as she walked over to it.

"Flawless garnet." Serana called out with a smile.

"Hmm, flawless sapphire." Khara called back before she kneeled down to unlock the chest. This was something they had started to do of late. Due to Khara's odd ability to find gems in every chest and container that they encountered, they both thought that maybe some fun could come out of it. And so, their little game was created.

"Winner gets what?" Serana asked as she stood guard, knowing that more mages could walk in on them at any given moment.

"What about…" Khara thought about if for a moment. "The satisfaction of winning?" She asked as she moved the lockpick around. She turned her head and looked at Serana, who was looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. "No?" She chuckled. "Alright, how does a massage sound?"

"That sounds very good." Serana said back with a grin.

Khara unlocked the chest and opened it. "And the massage goes to…-" She reached down and grabbed a gem. "Damn." She said as she looked at the flawless garnet.

Serana patted Khara on the shoulder as she walked past the wolf. "Looking forward to that massage." She said pleased as she moved to stand next to a corridor.

Khara put the gem in a pouch and moved over to Serana. They entered the corridor and followed it until they entered what had to have been the prison part of the fort. Both Serana and Khara had to admit that it was impressive that the fort was still in such a good shape, it was completely covered by water, and yet it still kept its walls up, keeping most of the water of the lake on the outside. Was it luck or maybe magic that kept the fort standing? Neither could tell, but it was an interesting sight nonetheless.

They spotted a necromancer and a skeleton patrolling between the cells. Khara drew her Blade as Serana charged up an ice spell as they moved towards the two.

The skeleton was facing them and spotted them quickly as it grabbed its bow and readied an arrow. Khara moved behind the mage that had his back towards them and grabbed him by his shoulders as she ran her Blade through his chest. She held onto him as she used him as a shield for the arrow that the skeleton fired at them. Serana used the newly obtained cover and released her spell at the skeleton, effectively making the skeleton fall into a pile of old bones.

Serana walked past her wolf as Khara pulled out her Blade of the mage's corpse. Khara walked up to Serana and they opened another door. They walked down another short corridor and was met with a room. There was only one man in the room and the room itself was for the most part covered in water, there was only a small part that weren't. Both Serana and Khara could feel the man's magica though, this could prove to be a challenge.

But all the water in the room gave Serana an idea. "If you could get him to stand in the water, I'll cast a lightning spell at it." She whispered to Khara.

The wolf nodded as she placed her Blade on her back and walked into the room. "FEIM ZII GRON!" She shouted, and her body took on the spectral form, she looked like a ghost.

The man quickly turned around and casted a spell on her, but it flew straight through her. "What kind of magic is this?" He spat as he took a few steps closer, seeing to how Khara was just standing there. "Who, what are you? Did some of the disciples summon you?" He asked as he took a few steps closer, one foot now in the water. She looked like a ghost, something that could have been summoned by others, yet her eyes told him otherwise. "Answer me damn it!" As Khara took a step back, the man took a step forward, both his feet were in the water now.

Serana summoned her lightning spell and casted it in the water. Its sparks danced through the surface and crawled up the man's body. He released a painful scream as he tried to move, but his body were frozen, unable to do as he commanded it to do. His body shook as smoke started to come from him. Serana stopped her spells and walked over to Khara. "Not a very pleasant way to go, but that's what you get for practicing magic in a place overflowing with water." Serana said as she looked over to Khara.

The wolf's shout had just faded and Khara looked up to some stairs. She nodded for Serana to follow her as they began to climb the steps. At the top there was a room, there were no one there except for a lot of skeletons. "This must have been what those mages were talking about." Khara said as she looked around the room, the more she looked, the more bones she spotted. She didn't dare imagine what the mages had done to these poor souls, because the wolf could see that the skeleton's bones were bent in unnatural ways. Blue and orange eyes continued to scan the room before they spotted something interesting.

In the back of the room, in the middle of two stone pillars there was a chair with a skeleton on it, and on the skeleton's lap was something that looked rather unique. Khara slowly walked closer to the chair and carefully placed a hand on the item, it looked like a star, a very worn and used star. "Do you think this is it?" She asked as she gently grabbed it with both hands and turned to Serana.

Serana looked at the star and walked closer, she placed a hand on it. "It had to be it." She said. "It's weak, but there is a magical current coming from it." She explained as she felt the faint magical energy coming from the Star.

"Okey, we should hurry back then, all of these cracks can't be good." Khara said as she tied the star to hang from her belt. She looked over to where there was a ladder and walked over to it. "Looks solid enough." She climbed up and unlocked the door. Once she opened the trap door and took a peak outside she saw that they were on the other tower. She got up and helped Serana up as well.

The tower was big enough for Odahviing to land on. Khara looked up and could see the red dragon circling above them. She whistled and waved an arm at the dragon and he started to descend from the skies. "You have what you came for, geh?"

"That we do, can you take us back to the College?" Khara asked as she and Serana got on his neck.

"I most certainly can, we are in a hurry?" He asked as he stretched out his wings and jumped into the air.

"We are, no sightseeing this time, brother." Khara told him as she looked down at the star. Khara sent out a small prayer to every god that she knew, because dying in the air by an exploding magical star is not the way she wanted to leave this world.

* * *

"By Azura, you have the Star." Aranea said surprised as she moved over to Khara and accepted it. "What foul magic is at work here?" She asked mostly to herself as she gently lowered the artifact down on a table. She could feel the corruption, she could see it.

"We have done our part, now you do yours." Tolfdir said as he walked closer to look at the Star. He could see how beaten and worn the Star looked, and he wanted it to be gone from his College and students as fast as possible.

"Of course, I will keep it stable, but this is worse than I expected." Aranea told them as she inspected the Star.

"What do you mean?" Khara asked as she took a step closer.

"There is something corrupting the Star from within, but I cannot reach it." Aranea said as she furrowed her brows. "My magic can't reach the Star, there is something in the way, blocking it." She said as she concentrated her magica.

"So, you don't know how to fix it?" Khara asked slightly worried.

"I'm afraid not, I can keep it stable, but I do not know how to remove the corruption. There is a magical barrier within it, I cannot see past it." The priestess told them.

"Is it Malyn's soul? Did he manage to enter the Star?" Tolfdir asked with slightly wide eyes.

"It is possible, but Lady Azura only showed me so much. I am afraid I do not know how to proceed from here." The elf told them. "I thought that I could cleanse it, but this is beyond my knowledge."

They stood in silence for a little while before Serana spoke. "Tolfdir, you said that you knew Malyn? Did he have anyone that he told is work to? Anyone that might know something about what he was doing to the Star?"

"Oh, yes." Tolfdir told them as he remembered. "There was an elf working under Malyn, he was exiled along with Malyn, but he might know something." He said with a nod. "His name was…Nelacar? Yes, Nelacar is his name."

"Good, do you know where he is now?" Khara said, pleased that they had something.

"He was in the Inn down in the town last I heard, he might still be there. It might take a little convincing getting him to help though." The old mage informed them.

"It's worth a shot. Tolfdir, stay here and help keep the star stable, we'll go and see if Nelacar is still in town." Khara said as she and Serana moved over to the door. "We'll be right back." She told them as she walked out the door with Serana.

They made their way out of the College grounds and entered the town of Winterhold. A few people spotted them, but paid them no attention once they recognized that it was the Archmage and possibly some student. They moved over to the local inn, the Frozen Hearth, and entered. Once blue eyes met with the orbs that belonged to the innkeeper, Khara had asked if he knew of an elven mage within the inn and the innkeeper, Dagur, pointed them to a room. Unlike the rest of the town, Dagur and his wife, Haran, didn't mind the mages or the College seeing to how that's where most of their business comes from. They welcomed men and mer who sought out the College and its secrets, as long as they have coins in their pockets.

Khara and Serana entered the room they had been directed to and spotted the elf himself. "Nelacar." Khara said his name.

He turned and looked at them with skeptical eyes. "Archmage?" He asked as he moved to stand. "What are you doing here?" He said as he looked at the two women. "My days at the College are long behind me." He told them.

"We need to know what Malyn told you about his experiments." Khara told him.

"Why, so you can mock me for following him so blindly? Thanks to him, I was expelled from the College. I have nothing to say about him, especially not to you, _Archmage_." He said with an annoyed voice as he turned his back on them and walked over to a table. "Now leave, I pay the rent for peace and quiet and your presence isn't helping my studies."

Khara took a moment to breathe before she spoke. "We believe that he succeeded." She told him, and she saw how the man froze in his steps.

"What?" He asked baffled as he turned to look at the woman. Was this some sick joke? Had the College sent their Archmage here to mock him further? He shook his head and continued what he was doing.

"We think that Malyn found a way to enter the Star." She told him again, trying to get some reaction from the elf.

Nelacar shook his head again and walked over to a bookcase. "Then good for him, he will live forever." He said as he grabbed a couple of books.

"He won't, the Star has grown unstable and corrupt, if we don't remove the corruption then the Star will be destroyed." Khara said as she tried to gain eye contact with the elf.

"Even better news. The Daedra are evil, to have Azura's star destroyed, well it's music to my ears." He said as he moved a few books around. "We are nothing to them, only pawns to be moved and praised as they see fit."

Khara narrowed her eyes at him. "And do you know what will happen if the Star is allowed to be destroyed, Nelacar? It will create an explosion." She told him as she crossed her hands over her chest.

"So? It will create a big crater somewhere, I don't see the harm in it. Disasters happens every day." He said as he walked over to a table.

"No?" Khara asked as she took a step closer to the elf. "What if I told you that the Star is inside the College?"

"Then I would say that you are mad." He said as he looked at her with wide eyes. "What spell were thrown onto your mind in order for you to bring that cursed item to the College?"

"We don't know how big the explosion is going to be, so we brought it to the College so that we could keep the Star stable." Khara explained.

"And how long will you be able to do just that, keep it stable?" He asked as he looked at the Archmage.

"We don't know, which is why we need your help. What did Malyn do under his experiments?" Khara asked again, she needed his help, needed to know what Malyn did to the Star.

They held each other's eyes for a moment before Nelacar sighed. His love for those who walked the magical halls of the College may not exist no more, but his love for the College itself was another matter entirely. Some of his best years was because of that stone structure, perhaps it was time to repay it for its kindness to him? Perhaps it was time to get justice for the students that had fallen victim for Malyn's actions. "Take me to the Star and I will tell you what I know."

* * *

"You found him." Tolfdir said relieved. He was glad that they had managed to find the elf, perhaps now, they could find out the exact problem with the Star and with luck, they could remove the corruption.

"Stendar's mercy, Azura's Star." Nelacar said in a low voice as he looked at the Star. "These fissures and cracks aren't encouraging. I can see why you came to me seeking help." The elf said as he raised his head to look at Khara. "It's obvious that Malyn grew more desperate once he was expelled from the College and it's resources." He said as he continued to look over the broken Star, how it hadn't exploded yet was a mystery.

"So, you can help us?" Tolfdir asked with hopeful eyes.

"I believe that I can offer some aid, yes. But to say that I can remove the corruption, I do not know. I will need to examine it further." He said as he grabbed the Star carefully. "But I will do what I can." He promised them.

They all let out relieved sighs at that. "Azura will be most pleased." Aranea told the elf.

"I am not doing this for Azura, I am doing this for the College, nothing else." Nelacar told them all as he inspected the Star. His eyes widened as he dragged a hand over it. "He…He did it. Malyn actually managed to trap his own soul inside the Star." His voice was low and filled with admiration. "Apologies, but I can't help but admire what he has managed to do. We all thought it to be impossible."

Tolfdir took a few steps closer and looked at the Star. "Astonishing, simply astonishing." He said in a low voice and with wide eyes.

"So, is Malyn's soul what's causing the corruption?" Khara asked for clearance.

"Yes, you see the Star is like a soul gem, but the artifact allows any number of souls to pass through it. That is how it all started, some of us wanted to find out how." Nelacar told them all.

"And Malyn thought he knew how?" Serana asked.

Nelacar nodded as he spoke. "He did, we were working under Malyn…" He sighed. "If only we knew what he was really planning."

"What do you mean?" Tolfdir asked as he took a step closer to the elf, his eyes confused.

"Malyn didn't want to learn how the Star worked, no. He wanted to alter it, bend it to his needs and desires. You see, Malyn was dying, disease. He thought that he could store his own soul inside of the star and become… Well, become immortal." Nelacar explained.

"I take it that is when it all went wrong." Khara asked as she leaned against the stone wall.

Nelacar looked at Khara. "Indeed, Malyn was running out of time, and it drove him mad." He lowered his head. "That is when students started dying and the rest of us, who had been fooled by Malyn, got expelled."

"Wait, you mean to say that you did not know of his intentions?" Tolfdir asked surprised.

"No, not many did. But when the others got expelled, Malyn took them with him to that Fort."

"I…I didn't know this." Tolfdir thought that all of those who worked under Malyn knew of the man's intentions from the very start.

"No one did, we didn't get a chance to explain ourselves. You simply thought us all to be in on Malyn's twisted experiments." Nelacar said and huffed.

"I am so sorry, I am sure that we can properly look into it once this is all over." Tolfdir offered.

"Most appreciated, now back to where we were. I mentioned that the Star is a soul gem, but that it never gets depleted." Nelacar asked as he looked at the others around the room.

"Yeah?" Khara asked.

"Well, there is another rule that the Star follows. You can only store white souls within it, souls of lesser creatures." He told them.

"That is correct, Azura won't allow black souls to enter her Star." Aranea said as she nodded and walked to stand next to Nelacar.

"Yes. As a mortal, Malyn's soul was black, so part of his work was to break past Azura's rules." The elf said as he looked at the priestess.

"Is that why the Star is so…So broken now?" Serana asked.

"It is. Malyn's soul is inside the Star, it's breaking the Star's very nature, thus corrupting it and making it unstable. As long as Malyn's soul is inside the Star, there is no way of removing it's corruption." Nelacar informed them.

"So, we need to deal with Malyn somehow." Serana said, this was getting complicated.

"Yes, but such a thing is no easy task. You see, soul gems are created and build to house souls, to capture them and for souls to _enter._ It is not in it's design to allow souls to leave."

"What are you saying?" Khara asked with narrowed eyes.

"Souls are only allowed in, not out." He simply told her.

"What…What can we do then?" Khara asked, because what _could_ they do?

"I do not know. I could send a soul into the Star with a complicated spell, but it would be useless unless we have somewhere for Malyn's soul to go to."

"Can't we just kill him and be done with it?" Khara asked as she looked at the Star and gestured to it with a hand. Wouldn't killing him end all of this?

"I'm afraid that it isn't that simple. You see, Malyn's soul didn't enter the traditional way, he forced himself inside, his soul isn't claimed by the Star. So, killing him wouldn't work, because his soul wouldn't be able to leave. If one of us were to fight him then it would be a fight that would never see it's end." Nelacar said as he brought a hand up to the back of his neck.

"What can we do then? Because there must be something we can do." Khara asked, why couldn't these things just be easy, just for once.

"Maybe…If we could find something that could provide as a host for Malyn's soul, something powerful enough to hold his soul, then we could transfer his soul from the Star into his new home, so to speak."

"I'm sensing a _but_ coming here…" Serana said as she looked at the elf.

"But…I do not know what that item could be, nor do I know of such a spell." Nelacar told them with honesty. He had never heard of a spell that could transfer souls, but if one were able to alter the fate of a Daedric artifact then he was sure that such a spell existed and if not, surely it could be created.

"Alright, let's worry about one thing at a time. We need to know how to transfer his soul, surely there is a book in the Arcanaeum that holds that knowledge?" Khara asked as she looked around at the others. "Right?"

"I don't know where else such information could possibly be." The elf said.

Khara nodded. "Nelacar, could you stay here and help Aranea with the Star? Help keep it stable while the rest of us searches the library for anything that could help."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare leave. Without people watching over it, the College would see it's end all too soon. You have my word that I will do what I can for that _not_ to happen." Nelacar told her as he grabbed a chair and dragged it close to the table that the Star were placed at.

"Thank you." Khara looked over at Tolfdir and Serana. "Come, we have quite the collection to go through." She said as she gestured for them to follow her to the Arcanaeum.

They walked up the stairs and entered the library. In the second Khara spotted Urag, their eyes locked. She walked up to the orc and placed a hand on the counter. "I need every book you have about soul gems, how to trap souls, anything on souls." She told him.

His eyes widened a little at those words. "That's quite the request, Archmage." He said surprised.

"I know, but I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important." Khara told him, a little apologetic smile on her face.

"Of course, just give me a moment and I'll have them ready for you." Urag then walked around the room and pulled all kinds of books out of many of the bookcases that were spread throughout the room. As his hands slowly became full of books he would place them on a table that Serana and Tolfdir sat by before he would go back and fetch some more. Khara moved over to the table as well.

Together with Serana and Tolfdir they went through book after book. Khara's knowledge about soul gems increased drastically as the hours passed, but what they desired to read about had still to reveal itself to them.

"You know, I find it a little strange that necromancy is frowned upon and enchanting is completely acceptable." Tolfdir said as he looked through a book.

Khara looked at him as she grabbed another book. "Care to share?"

"Well, in necromancy you enslave and use souls for your own gains, don't we do the same in enchanting?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. I see what you're saying." Khara then put down her book. "Does anyone know what it's like to be in a soul gem? Or what happens after the soul is used?"

"Black souls go to the Soul Cairn once used." Serana told her wolf as her eyes scanned the pages of the book she was currently looking through. Her mother, Valerica, had done her fair share of research of the plane rules by the Ideal Masters and had shared a little with her daughter.

"It's a plane of Oblivion?" Khara asked.

"Yes, it is." Tolfdir confirmed as he nodded. As Master Wizard, such knowledge was to be expected of him.

"Huh, I need to read more books about that." Khara said as she went back to her own book. She had never heard about the Soul Cairn, and she is the bloody Archmage.

Time passed, and the pile of books slowly started to get smaller, for every book Khara grabbed, the more worried she became. Even Urag had offered to help them go through the books, but none of them were able to find what they wanted.

"There is plenty of information about soul gems, but not what we need." Tolfdir said as he finished his book. He looked at the now gone pile and sighed. "This is not good."

Khara shared his worries as her mind reminded her of one last resort. _No,_ she said in her mind. _I do not like it, but time is running out and we have not managed to get anywhere ourselves, goraan gein._ Khara released the smallest growl as she shook her head. Serana noticed, but she thought the wolf was annoyed over the lack of information gained from the books.

Urag looked at Khara and cleared his throat, making Khara look at him. "We know of someone who may be able to help us with this, Archmage." He said in a low voice.

Khara frowned and shook her head. "Maybe there is some books you have overlooked?"

"I know my own library, these-" Urag pointed to the books on the table. "Are the only ones about soul gems." He continued to look at her. "He might be able to give us what we need." Urag pressed on.

"His deals are twisted, you know this. You know what he wants…" Khara told him as she refused to look at the orc.

"Maybe he will offer it for free?" Urag said as he approached the Archmage. He loved this place, loved his library, he didn't want it to be blown up.

"He never does, never will. All knowledge comes at a price." She reminded him. "You know this, and you know what I would need to do just to get his attention."

"Who are you two talking about?" Tolfdir asked them, who could help them?

"While Khara was looking for an Elder Scroll she encountered someone…-"

"I met Hermaeus Mora." Khara interrupted, there was no need to sugarcoat it.

"The Daedric Prince?" Serana asked surprised, just how many Daedric Princes had her wolf encountered?

"Yes." Khara said with a sigh.

Urag looked at the others. "I don't like it myself, but he may be able to help us find what we seek. He is the Daedric Prince of knowledge and memory after all, his realm of Oblivion is one giant library." He told them.

"I don't want to-" Khara was interrupted when they felt the whole College shake a little. They all looked at each other before they quickly got up from their seats and darted downstairs, because they all knew what was the cause.

"Do you have it?" Nelacar yelled to the priestess as a light shone brightly from the Star.

"Yes, I got it!" She shouted as she captured the light with her magic.

"Good, let's close it, together!" He yelled as he summoned his magica to contain the magical wave that was lashing out on them.

Khara entered the room with the others and looked at the light coming from the Star. "I thought you said you could keep it stable." Her voice was filled with worry.

"Trust us, compared to what can happen, this _is_ the Star being stable." Nelacar told them as he and Aranea pulled the magica back into the Star and sealed the crack. Khara closed her eyes and sighed, she knew what she had to do, and she hated it.

"You're considering it?" Urag asked as he eyed the woman.

"I don't think we have much of a choice here…But still, killing Septimus isn't something I can say I'm looking forward to." Khara told him, her eyes stuck on the Star.

"I can see why, but if he is as you described, then maybe it would be an act of mercy to end his misery." The orc said, he remembered how Khara had told him about how Septimus had talked in riddles, lost his ability to speak for several minutes and how the man didn't seem to eat or drink, he was completely gone. His body wandering the frozen room, holding whatever remained of the man's mind.

"I guess you're right." She took a moment to breathe. "Hermaeus Mora better be there once it's done." She said a she looked at the corrupted star. "I'll go and deal with it, in the meanwhile, do what you must to keep the Star from blowing up." Khara said as she looked over to the door.

"Archmage, please, proceed with great caution." Tolfdir warned Khara.

"I will Tolfdir, this isn't the first time I've dealt with a Daedric Prince, and I'm sure it won't be the last." She and Serana walked out the doors of the College and down towards the town. The wind was calm now and only a few snowflakes fell from the clouds above. Khara looked to her side and saw Serana. "You don't have to come with me on this one." She said in a low voice.

"I'm not letting you deal with a Daedric Prince on your own, Khara." Serana responded as she kept her eyes on the path ahead. Her words made the Wolf smile, but it quickly faded.

Khara looked at her for a little while, seeing if Serana had any doubts about this, but she could see none. It made her smile that she would so willingly follow the her. "Septimus is to the north." Khara explained as they walked through the town and started to walk down to the sea. "The sea is almost completely covered by ice, as you can see."

"Should we ask Odahviing for help?" Serana asked as her eyes scanned the frozen sea. There was ice as far as her eyes could see, and see could she pretty far, thanks to her enhanced vision.

"It wouldn't be very useful, the ice is thin in most areas, thick enough for us, but not for him." Khara told her. Serana took a moment to look at her wolf and Khara noticed. "I'm fine, I just…-" She looked forward. "I just don't like the idea of killing the old man, he hasn't done anything wrong. It was also because of him that I managed to learn the shout needed to defeat Alduin."

"He showed you the shout?" Serana asked as she looked at the wolf as they walked over the ice, close to each other in case one of them would fall through it.

"No, but he told me where I could find a Scroll that would allow me to learn it." Khara then chuckled at the memory. "It took me three hours of talking with him before he managed to tell me where it was located. He kept falling out of the conversation." She told Serana as they moved over the frozen sea.

"Is he a bit…" Serana moved a hand to her head and gestured. She was never one to use words such as, mad, crazy, insane. It did slip every now and then, but those words normally came with painful memories for the vampire, so she did her best to avoid them from rolling off her tongue.

Khara understood what Serana was asking. "Oh, yeah." Khara said as she nodded. "His mind isn't what it used to be, I think we have Hermaeus Mora to thank for that though." She said as they walked. "Be careful where you place your feet." She warned. "Do you think he has a book on what we need?" Khara asked as she looked around, she could see a few horkers to the east and it made her wolf aspect release a small growl. _Hungry_ , it whispered. Khara frowned upon the idea of eating raw horker meat. _No_ , she told it and got a whine in response.

"I believe so, yes. If anyone knows anything about it, then it would be him. I'm just a little worried about the price we need to pay in order to get it." Serana told her as she looked down at the ice, trying to see where it was best to place her feet. She had heard about Hermaeus Mora before, The Woodland Man, the Keeper of knowledge. She also knew that most of those who had met him and managed to come back with their life intact, normally had a few pieces of their mind lost in the process.

"Me too." Khara said as she could now see the location there were headed to. It wasn't far, but due to the ice it would probably still take them a full hour to get there, if not more.

* * *

"This…" Serana looked down at the man, at Septimus. "This complicates things." She settled on saying. They had entered through the little opening and walked down into the ice-covered room only to find Septimus dead. He was laying on a bedroll, eyes closed, heart still as a small smile could be seen on his old, worn and slightly ice-covered face.

The cold has done well to preserve his body, and Khara could see that she was right, the old man didn't eat or drink as his old robes showed just how thin the man had become before his demise. She knew that Hermaeus Mora had spoken to Septimus, that he had entered the old man's mind, but if the Daedric Prince was entirely to blame for the old man's death was unknown to the wolf, but she was sure that he did however have some part to play in it.

"I honestly don't know what to do now." Khara said as she leaned back against the ice and moved down to sit. She brought her hands up to cover her eyes as she shook her head. "Why can't things just be simple for once, just once." Khara asked, she removed her hands when she felt a chill creep up her spine.

"Poor Septimus, he had served me well but just as all things, his life had to end." A deep voice spoke. Khara's head shot up and looked around the room.

"What was that?" Serana asked alerted as she took a few steps closer to her wolf, her hand hovering over her sword as her other hand was ready to shower the owner of the unknown voice with deadly spells.

Khara got on her feet and grabbed Serana's arm, pulling the woman to stand behind her. "Not what, _who_." She may have only shared a few words with the owner of that voice, but she remembered it far too well.

Only a few feet away from them a form emerged out of thin air, it was green, dark and horrendous. It had tentacles that lashed out in all directions as well as so many eyes that both Serana and Khara didn't care to count. A dark, black liquid dripped from it and vanished into the ice, leaving nothing behind. And then, then it spoke again. "I am Hermaeus Mora, I am the guardian of the unseen and knower of the unknown. You have kept me waiting for a long time, Khara." One of the many eyes locked onto the wolf. "That was most _unwise_." His voice was even deeper now.

Khara didn't say a single word, nor did Serana as they simply looked at the twisted form that was floating before them. Everything about him was just _wrong_.

"I told you that you could not evade me forever." He said amused as he continued to look at the woman. "I see that look in your eye, you seek something, you seek knowledge, _my_ _knowledge_."

Khara swallowed before she took a step closer. "I do."

"Come then, my mortal, come closer." His form hovered a little higher in the air. "Bask in my presence." He told her.

Khara looked at him and she knew, she knew that the Prince knew what she wanted. "You know what we seek."

"I do, I have known for some time. It would seem that I have what you desire, but all knowledge has a price, what can _you_ offer _me_?" He asked as he turned his big eye to look beyond Khara, to look at Serana. "I see the years in your eyes." He moved a little closer, making Khara move to stand before Serana in a defensive stance. "I wonder…What knowledge your mind contains, we can make a deal you and I. We could work wonders _together_." His voice showed what was in his many eyes, interest, hunger for what could possibly be stored inside of that old mind. Serana's eyes widened a little over those words, his voice made her feel so small, so fragile, and she did not like it.

"No, you talk to me, you make a deal with me. You leave her alone." Khara told him, she didn't care that he was a bloody Daedric Prince. "You know what I want, do you have it?"

"I do have what your heart desires, that and how to transfer souls." He told her as he hovered back and watched her.

Khara furrowed her brows over his words. _What my heart desires?_ "And what must I do in order for you to give it to me?" She chose to ignore his first words.

He released a strange and deep growl, but somehow is sounded more like a sound of amusement than anything else. "I have been watching you for quite some time now, _Khara_. Your progress is most impressive. I could perhaps have use for someone like you…" His words faded as he got closer.

Khara took a step back as his form was a little too close for what she was comfortable with, but she held his gaze as she did so. "What do you need." Serana moved to stand beside her wolf, their hands touching.

"I have a servant that have served me long and well, but he grows restless under my guidance." Hermaeus told them as he looked at them both now. He then looked more closely at Khara. "His desire to return to his old home would spread my influence more widely, but it would also set him free of my _direct_ control." His voice turned deeper and deeper as he slowly moved closer to Khara again. "It may be time to replace him with a more loyal servant, one that still would appreciate the gifts that I have to offer." He said in a low and dark voice as he looked at Khara like she was the answer to all of his problems.

Khara released a deep growl as she took a step closer to the mass form of tentacles and eyes. "If you think that for a second that I will serve you, then you are _wrong_. Septimus served you and he ended up dead and now you want me to kill another servant of yours?" Khara asked as she looked at him with anger flaring up in his eyes. "Maybe your servant is restless under your _guidance_ because you end up killing all of your servants? Maybe there isn't something wrong with the servants, maybe there's something wrong with the master."

Hermaeus Mora moved a little to the side before quickly moving closer to Khara. "Careful now." He growled. "Your free will is all but an illusion, whether you acknowledge me or not is your own business, but I am in _your_ mind, I see what _you_ see, Khara. I know what _you_ know." He moved a little back. "You will offer your aid to me, it is _pure_ _fate_." His voice turned a little lighter.

"We can do a trade, my help for yours, but that's it. I won't give you my soul, I won't be your servant or your champion, or whatever it is that you want me to be. Let's make a simple deal." Khara told him. "I help you deal with your servant and in return you give us the information we seek."

Hermaeus Mora looked at her, perhaps he could make her his champion at a later date. "I suppose that for now, that will do." He was silence for a moment, as if he was considering her offer." Very well, a trade then. You remove my troublesome servant and in return I will keep my promise, as befits a Prince of Oblivion." Those words didn't sound too trustworthy, but they had little choice but to accept.

Khara looked at him and she gave a small nod. "Who is this servant?" She asked as she took a step closer.

Hermaeus Mora looked at her as he began to fade, his presence vanished, his cold embrace disappeared as his last word echoed throughout the room. " _Miraak_."

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Huh, Daedric Princes, am I right? So, in order to remove the corruption from the Star we need to find out how to transfer Malyn's soul from it and into another item, and Hermaeus Mora knows how to do it, alright. Khara and Serana only need to find this Miraak and end the poor fool's life, sounds easy. Hehe, Khara and Serana have no idea of what the future has in store for them.

Again, I apologies if my version of Azura's Star is too dumb, but I had to bend a little lore in order for this quest to make a little sense. I also know that these quests have no connection in the game, but I have to tell you that another completely different quest is also going to play its part in this as well, but, oh, what quest? Time will tell.

My head have been a bloody mess over the last two days, so sorry if there is a lot of spelling mistakes!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next one, take care.

-Zep


	28. Chapter 28

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 28_

 _Jewel of Nowhere_

"Where is it he wanted you to go?" Nelacar asked them.

Once their conversation with Hermaeus Mora had come to an end, he had left out a very important bit of information, where this Miraak actually was. He had only given them a name to go on, nothing more, nothing less. Both Serana and Khara was sure that the Daedric Prince enjoyed leaving them to find out where they needed to go on their own.

"He didn't say, he only said the name Miraak and then he left." Serana told them. She was sure that she would never enjoy talking with a Prince of Oblivion, _never._

"Wait, what was his name again?" Tolfdir asked as he narrowed his eyes, he was sure that he had heard that name before.

"Miraak." Khara told him.

"I remember." Tolfdir cheered, but his smile quickly faded as he tried to remember where he had heard it. "Well, I remember something. That name makes me think of an island…Oh what was it again…-" He closed his eyes and concentrated. "It was given to Morrowind by the High King…" He waved a hand around.

"You're talking about Solstheim?" Aranea asked the old mage.

"Yes!" Tolfdir said a bit too loud, making some of them flinch. "That's it, Solstheim." He said with a calmer voice this time.

"Isn't that the island northwest of Skyrim?" Khara asked with a tilted head, she could have sworn that she had seen it on a few maps in the past.

"You're correct." Aranea confirmed.

Khara allowed herself to smile at that. "Well, that's not too far away." She said with enthusiasm.

"What is it, a day, maybe two on a ship?" Urag asked the others.

"Something like that, the weather decides, but that's not too bad, certainly within our grasp." Nelacar said as he looked at the others.

"It sure is." Urag joined in. "I'm sure that you could hire a boat at either the Solitude docks or at Windhelm's harbor." He said as he looked at Khara.

Suddenly the Star started to shake a little. Nelacar, Aranea, Urag, Tolfdir, Serana and Khara, they all turned around at the same time and focused their magica on the Star, calming it down.

"Alright, so I and Serana will go to Solstheim while you keep the Star under control." Khara continued like nothing had happen. The Star would do that every now and then, it was safe to say that they had gotten used to it by now.

"Yes, you two deal with this Miraak and we'll keep watch over the Star." Tolfdir agreed with his Archmage.

Khara nodded as she shared a quick look with Serana. "Send a raven if there are any major changes. We will try to deal with this as fast as possible." Khara told the mages.

"We will." Nelacar told them with a firm nod.

"May Azura watch over you both." Aranea said with a soft voice. It brought the priestess great joy that the College would offer their help to her and her Lady, it made her even more pleased that the Archmage herself would travel to a different province in order to help remove the corruption from the Star.

Khara nodded to the mages before she and Serana walked out the College once more. Their destination this time; Solstheim.

* * *

"No, no way. I am not taking my crew back to that cursed island." The captain told them. Never again would he risk the lives of his crew, his ship to that ash-covered island. He had seen too much strange things there, heard too many whispers at night.

"There is something wrong there." A crewman said as he nodded. There is indeed something wrong there, and he did not want to find out what it was or to fall victim to it.

"Something evil." Another joined in and received a few nods from his friends.

"If I see that island ever again it would be too soon." Another man who looked like he had seen it all said. The odd sounds, the weird people, the feeling of being there made them freeze even when sitting in front of their fire, even when their bellies were filled with the strongest mead they could still feel that chill.

"We won't risk our ship, our lives." A brute of a Nord told them. All they had was on this ship, all that the owned, all that they had ever cared for.

"It's not worth it." Another man said for all of them. They had worked too hard for this, to come to where they were now. Life was just fine without that island and its mysteries.

Khara grabbed one of her pouches and poured its contents onto a table that they were all standing next to. Flawless gems, a few coins and exotic jewelry spread out on the table, silencing the men. She looked at the men and saw how all of their eyes were stuck on the table, unable to move away from the riches that were laying there, just for the taking. She saw how the gears in their minds began to move and provide thoughts of what the wolf wanted them to think of. She saw that their eyes shone with want and that the fear of what awaits at Solstheim slowly began to fade from them.

The captain moved his eyes back to Khara and smiled bashfully at her, all the worries currently outweighed by what was now in the hands of his crew. "We'll leave as soon as possible." _Everyone has a price_ , Khara mused in her head.

Khara looked over at Serana and the two shared a smirk. They were given directions to a room under deck that was now theirs. And so, they climbed down the stairs and walked into the corridor that would take them to the room.

Serana looked around. "For a ship run by men-" She turned to Khara. "This is surprisingly clean." She said as she opened the door to their rom for the time being.

Khara inhaled and nodded as she entered. "It is." The wolf agreed. "I guess you really never should judge a book by its cover."

Serana closed the door behind them and locked it. "Quoting Delvin already, are we?" Serana said with a grin and she looked at her wolf as she sat down at the bed.

Khara hummed as she caught orange eyes. "Well, he did have a point, did he not?" Khara asked with a grin of her own as she was getting out of her armor. Once out she looked to the side of her thigh. "Bloody mage burned my trousers." She whined as she looked at the burned fabric and sat down at the bed.

Serana moved her index finger and tugged at the trousers before she ran her finger over smooth, warm skin. "At least it healed." She said as she felt the skin, there was no scars.

Khara nodded as she leaned her back against the headboard. "I'm sort of glad that it's going to take a full day to get to Solstheim." She said in a low voice as she closed her eyes.

"Agreed, we could both use some rest." Serana laid down on the bed and looked up. "Life sure is one huge adventure with you." She chuckled.

Khara smiled as she held out her hand. "Feel free to jump off if it's too much for you." She joked.

Serana huffed in good humor. "As if. You would miss me too much." Serana said back as she placed her hand in Khara's.

"Oh really?" _I would._

"Definitely." _You would._ Serana looked over at Khara.

"You're probably right." Khara said with a small smile as her eyes roamed the room. "I'm worried." She then said after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" Serana asked as her eyes found her wolf's.

"Yeah." The wolf admitted as she released a breath. "I wasn't thinking when talking with Hermaeus Mora, I let my emotions get the better of me." Khara said as she opened her eyes. Her conversation with the Prince had been…Aggressive. She had insulted him right in his face, or tentacles, either way she had insulted him, not very wise. "It's just…Every emotion is more intense and in every feeling, there is more to _feel._ At times I hate it-" She looked down at their hands. "And at times I love it." She got a smile at that last sentence. "Either way, it's difficult to keep myself from speaking my mind."

"Practice makes-"

"Makes perfect." The wolf interrupted with a grin.

Serana chuckled. "I know how it is though, when me and my parents turned…-" Serana raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "There wasn't a thing we wouldn't argue about, we would fight over the stupidest things."

"Can you imagine a teenage girl vampire?" The wolf wondered, that would be horrible.

"That is one scary thought, Khara." Serana laughed. "That's an awful combination. I'm sure in some realm of Oblivion, one of the Princes uses that as a punishment for some poor soul who have crossed them."

"What? To have teenage vampire girls tell them off?" Khara could see it before her.

"Yes." Serana laughed out.

Khara chuckled as she looked over at Serana. "Thank you." Khara saw what Serana had just done.

Serana bit her lower lip. "I have no idea of what you're talking about." She said back as she looked around the room.

Khara smiled as she squeezed their hands. Serana had made her forget about that worry, that fear for a moment, and the wolf was grateful for it. Khara looked over to where her weapons were. Before they had gone down to the docks, Khara had made sure to purchase a crossbow and a fair number of bolts to go with it, she was sure that within the next days it would prove most useful.

As the footsteps above told them that they were about to leave the harbor, both got comfortable on the bed and as time passed, they both allowed sleep to claim them.

* * *

Serana woke when a wave hit the boat, if it was a big wave or not she couldn't really tell, she had never done well on boats. This time was different from the other times she had been on the seas though, she was warm this time, she wasn't in a dark and cold room on her own and that made a big difference. In those other times she had been cold, both in her body and in her soul, but the white wolf kept both warm now, and she believed that she would never know such coldness ever again.

There was a warm arm holding her close and there was a strong beating heart keeping her calm. But there was something in the back of her mind, something that was maybe also the cause for her waking up when she was so comfortable. What was it? She couldn't quite tell, she couldn't really see what it was, but it was there alright, just beyond her reach, taunting her. It could be the waves currently hitting the ship, sure, but it could also be a million other things, maybe she was worried about them helping or _working_ with a Daedric Prince. Serana did not have any found memories with Daedric Princes, so it could be that. No matter how hard she tried though, she could not find sleep again.

She slowly and carefully got out of the warm and comfortable bed and got dressed. She was glad that she could move so quietly, she didn't want to wake her wolf because she had a feeling that the next days would prove exhausting to them both, but especially for Khara. It might only be a feeling in her stomach, but she heeded its warning. She sat down in a chair by the bed and inhaled, sitting up straight made her feel slightly better. She even managed to find the slight sway created by the waves a little comforting now.

She sat in her seat and simply kept watch over the wolf, after a few hours though, she felt the need to stretch her legs, maybe she could do some exploring on the ship? She got up from her seat and walked over to the door.

As she entered the corridor she put her new ring on, the last thing they needed were for the crew to know that there was a vampire on board. As she walked she could begin to hear some of the men chatting, she followed the sound and ended up in a little bar.

One of the men spotted her and pulled out a chair. "Come have a seat with us, we don't bite." The man said.

Serana looked into his eyes, they were filled with innocence and so she knew that he was speaking the truth. She walked over to the table and sat down.

"Fancy a drink?" The same man asked as he held out an unused cup to her. Serana nodded and the man smiled as he poured her some mead. "Storm keeping you up?" His eyes looked into her green ones as he spoke.

"Yes, I never have been a big fan of the open sea." She answered as she accepted the cup.

"Eh, it grows on ya'." Another man said with a shrug as he took a sip of his drink. "So, what awaits in Solstheim?"

"A job." Serana said, she didn't want to let them know too much. Not yet anyways, she needed to know what kind of men they were first.

"Alright." The same man answered. "I'm Jerral."

"Reidal." The other man spoke, the one that had offered Serana to sit with them.

Serana nodded. "Serana." She said with a small smile on her lips, there was something about these two, they just seemed like good people, happy people.

"Pleasure to meet ya'." Jerral said as he raised his cup. Serana smiled as she took a sip from her own drink.

"You ever been there before?" Reidal asked as he leaned back in his seat. "Solstheim." He added.

"No, anything interesting to share?" Serana asked Reidal.

Reidal let out a small chuckle. "Sure do. The entire island is covered with ash from the Red Mountain, giving the land a boring and dull grey look to it. The same can be said for most of those who live there too, they're dull and grey."

"Or they used to be." Jerral added.

"Yeah, that's right." Reidal leaned over the table. "Something has happened there, on the island, the people are all messed up in the head." He looked down at his hand and sighed. "Me and the crew were there only a few days ago, but we only remembered that we had arrived and that we had left, nothing else."

"That's not normal, to lose memories like that, to lose time like that." Jerral said as he shook his head.

"Is it being looked into?" Serana asked with curious eyes, what were they heading into? Some sort of possessed island?

"Don't think so, everyone on that island looks like they're on skooma, and the ones that aren't are too damn blind to see that something isn't right." Jerral told her.

"That is odd. We're actually going there to find a person, goes by the name of Miraak, does it ring any bells?" She asked the two sailors.

Jerral and Reidal looked at each other and both looked confused. "It's like on the tip of my tongue, I swear I have heard it before, but I can't place it." Jerral told her as he tried hard to concentrate, the memory was there, just beyond the poor man's reach.

"It does…" Reidal nodded in agreement, for he too knew that he had heard it before, but just like his friend, he couldn't remember where he had heard it, or when.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like this mystery person of yours will remain a mystery, or at least until we get there." Jerral said with an apologetic smile.

"I wouldn't sweat it, I'm sure we'll find him, whoever he is." Serana told them both right before a bell could be heard.

Jerral and Reidal sighed in unison. "Looks like it's our turn to man the deck-" he got up from his seat and looked at Serana. "I would say is just about a day left of the trip, maybe less if we keep this wind." He said as he and Reidal moved over to some stairs. "Pleasure talking with ye!" He yelled as they ran up the stairs.

Serana smiled as she finished her cup, then walked back to her room where she knew a warm bed awaited her.

When she finally returned to the bedroom and walked closer to the bed however, she noticed that it was empty. She moved the covers a little and there was indeed no Khara in the bed.

She jumped a little when she suddenly felt someone hug her from behind. "You've been out sneaking now, have you?" The wolf whispered against her ear, warm lips touching cool skin.

Serana grinned over the tone of Khara's voice. "Missed me?"

"You're answering my question with a question?" Khara chuckled.

Serana turned around in her arms and smirked. "Maybe I am." She leaned incredibly close to those warm, delicious lips. "What will you do about it?" She challenged her wolf, it had been a while since they last played, had it not? And besides, it seemed like Khara was in the mood.

So, Serana wanted to play now, did she? _Two can play this game._ Khara bit her lips as she too smirked, their lips were so _very_ close, but she wouldn't give in, at least not yet. "What do _you_ want me to do about it?" She whispered hotly.

Serana's eyes changed as she looked into blue orbs. "I can imagine a few things…" She whispered back as she let one hand fall to Khara's hip.

Khara hummed as she moved and dragged her lips against Serana's jaw. "Anything interesting?" She whispered against her ear. She was going to win this time, she was sure of it.

"You're certainly in a good mood." She said with furrowed brows, Gods those lips were magical.

Khara hummed. "I had a dream." She whispered as she dragged her lips over Serana's neck.

"And w-what did you dream about?" _Damn it, don't stutter now._

Khara grinned. "Not what, _who_." Serana shuddered, because the tone of Khara's voice, _the tone_ was making her remember the last time the wolf had used that tone, it was a very _nice_ memory for Serana, a very memorable one, with tons of enjoyable feelings. "And to answer your question…" The wolf brought her lips over to an ear. "It was a very vivid dream about you and me, _alone_." The wolf whispered.

Serana inhaled deeply. "Did this dream involve a bed by any chance?"

" _Oh_ , you bet it did." The wolf whispered seductively.

Serana swallowed, she was in a good mood too now. "Was there anything else in this dream? Or maybe a lack of clo-" Her words were transformed into a pleasurable groan.

Serana's words were just ripped off her tongue when she felt Khara's lips move over that special spot on her neck at the same time she was being pressed against the wall. When had they moved? Her mouth hung open as her eyes were forced shut, feelings began to stir within her and the need to claim those warm lips grew by each passing second. Khara was winning, and Serana was both loving and hating it. _Screw it._ She grabbed Khara by the waist and quickly spun them around, pressing Khara against the wall as she reached up with her hand and guided her wolf's lips on her own.

She inhaled deeply through her nose as she deepened the kiss right away, taking Khara's bottom lip between hers and sucking on it.

Khara couldn't help but smirk into the kiss. "I wo-"

"Shut up." Serana interrupted her with a mumble as she moved Khara over to the bed.

The wolf was forced down on the bed and onto her back as Serana got on top of her, their lips connected as they moved.

Serana was straddling her waist and broke the kiss to give them both a needed break for air. She leaned back a little as she looked down on the woman beneath her. Lips red from their previous dance, eyes darkened due to the feelings they share. And on top of that there was this smile, it was gentle and simple yet…It was the most beautiful smile on Nirn, Serana was sure of it. She had to smile too, because how could she not? The owner of that smile was hers, and she knew that she was the cause of that smile, because of her actions the world was rewarded with the most wonderful smile and Serana was the only one allowed to witness it. That smile was, in a way, hers. _I love you so much, stupid wolf._

Serana sat up as she simply kept their eyes connected. Her hand was against the warmest cheek, the smoothest.

"Are you alright?" Khara whispered as she sat up too, making their foreheads touch. She nudged her nose against Serana's as she let the question float around them.

 _Am I alright?_ Serana wondered if she was, because was it normal to feel such feelings as strongly as she was? And for only one person? "You take my breath away." She whispered back as she closed her eyes. "Before I met you, I never understood why people would just smile for no reason…" Serana opened her eyes and was met with loving blue ones. "I know now though."

Her words were rewarded with a wonderful laugh, probably due to her cheesy words, but they were honest, and Khara knew it. The wolf placed a sweet, long kiss on her cheek before she rested her head on Serana's shoulders.

"From when our eyes first met I knew that there was something about you that I needed, and in the beginning, I thought that it was to have you guide me home." Serana turned her head and kissed the warmest cheek. "Then when we met again, I thought that it was your help." She placed a kiss on the warmest jaw. "Then your friendship." Another kiss on the warmest neck. "Then your love…" She kissed the warmest collarbone.

Khara moved back a little and looked at Serana, the tone of her voice was…It was the warmest, the most loving voice she had ever heard, and it was all for her.

"It turns out though…-" She moved her hand over the wolf's beating heart and smiled as she leaned closer to it. "It wasn't something about you at all, it was just _you_." She placed a kiss over the warmest heart. "Just you." She whispered again.

Khara opened her mouth, but Serana kissed her before she could speak, before she could turn her thoughts and emotions in that moment into words. _What did I do to deserve such loving words?_ Khara wondered to herself. Her wolf aspect chuckled. _You gave her warmth_ , her dragon aspect told her. _Warmth,_ the word echoed in her mind. She felt like the word had many different meanings behind it, just like her aspect intended it to.

"Don't." Serana mumbled into the kiss. "Let me have this one." She added as she placed both hands on Khara's cheeks. There was no doubt that Khara had some clever words laying around, ready to come out, but Serana needed this, she needed her words to be the last ones spoken this time. She just needed to have said it, because there was this feeling hanging around her, but she just couldn't reach it. Deep down however, she knew that whatever this feeling was, it wasn't a good one. Something was coming, and only the Gods knew what it was.

* * *

"Well, here you have it. Solstheim, jewel of absolutely nowhere." Jerral told them as their ship approached the docks. As the ship got closer, the crewmen jumped on the dock and tied the boat to it. "I can't say that I'm overjoyed of being back here, but my old man always said to look your fear in the eyes." Jerral turned to face Khara and Serana. "You payed us handsomely so, if you need a boat to take you off of this cursed island, just send a raven to the Windhelm docks, and we'll come." He told them.

"Thank you, Jerral. We'll do that once we're done with this business." Serana said to him with a small smile.

The cold wind hit them, as did the smell of something burnt. It looked like there was this thick fog around the island, but it was just ash. Jerral and Reidal hadn't lied, there was ash everywhere, on the ground, the water, even the air, everything around them was touched by ash.

"It's no problem, ladies. Stay safe while you're here." He said as they got off the boat. They walked towards the little town that was Raven Rock. As they were about to walk into the town however, a man stopped them.

The elf looked at them before he ordered a guard to stop them. "I apologize for the hostility, but not for being vigilant. I am Second Councilor Adril Arano." The elf said, and the women looked at him. "I can't say that I have seen you two before, so I assume it's your first time to Raven Rock?" He asked.

"You're right." Khara told the elf with a nod.

"Very well then, please, I will need to know your intentions." He said.

"We're here on business for the College of Winterhold." Khara told him.

"The College? Truly? Wouldn't the Archmage have sent a letter if that was the case?" He asked them with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I would rather travel here myself." Khara said with a kind smile.

His eyes widened a little before he calmed himself. "You're the Archmage?"

"Aye, that I am." Khara nodded. _You want me to prove it, don't you?_

"I have heard that the Archmage is a nord woman of many titles, one of which is Dragonborn." He said as he looked at Khara. "I am afraid that I will have to ask you to prove that you are who you say you are."

Khara raised an eyebrow at him. _Thought so._ "You want me to shout here, right next to your town?" Not many people enjoyed to have their peace disturbed by a thundering shout in the middle of the day, Khara knew, she had been told off by guards before.

He nodded. "You don't need to worry about the citizens if that is what you're thinking about, far stranger things are at play here, you shouting wouldn't even register."

 _Alright then._ Khara inhaled before she turned towards the water. "FO KRAH DIIN!" She shouted against the waves and the water that was touched by her Thu'um turned to solid ice. She turned back to the elf.

Adril looked at the ice with an amused expression before offering the two a small smile. "Welcome to Raven Rock, Archmage, we're honored to have you here. Now, tell me, why are you here? What is this business you mentioned?" He asked.

"We're looking for someone, a man that goes by the name of Miraak. Can you point us in any directions?" Khara asked him as the guard slowly moved out of their way.

Adril furrowed his brows as the name echoed through is mind. "Miraak? I…It's strange how something can sound so familiar…I swear that I have heard that name before and yet, I cannot place it." He looked conflicted, like there was something more behind this than just a misplaced memory.

"I see…" Khara said as she looked over at Serana, then back at him. "Can we ask around the town?" Khara asked him.

"I don't see any harm with that, just don't harass the citizens. You can do as you wish, as long as you follow the rules, Archmage." Adril told them as he moved to the side, allowing them to continue into town.

"Of course, thank you." Khara said as she and Serana walked off the dock and placed their feet on the ground.

This felt familiar. The chill that crept up her spine, she had felt it before, a long time ago. Serana placed a hand on Khara's back as they walked. "There is something foul at play here, I can feel it." Her eyes scanned the area around them. "We need to be careful here, Khara. Something isn't right." She warned, because she remembers where she had felt it before, and the memory might be old, but it still felt fresh at times.

"I hear you, my aspects are on the alert, I too feel something strange about this place, about this island." Khara said as her eyes spotted something in the distance, a rock of sorts. She tilted her head to the side as she felt some sort of pull towards it, she wanted to get closer. "Do…Do you feel that?" She asked. She felt herself grow more alert. _Bad stone,_ her wolf aspect warned. _Geh, careful now, goraan gein,_ her dragon aspect added. Khara felt a chill creep up her spine, but why she felt it, she did not know.

Serana followed her gaze and spotted the rock. "Feel what?"

"I don't know…But I want to get closer to it, this feels odd."

Serana nodded and they walked over to the rock, or stone rather. It was tall and had a green aura around it that seemed to reach the clouds above. She didn't feel anything towards the stone, but Khara did, and it only made her worry even more than before.

They stood before the rock now. There were elves around them that seemed to work on the rock and the stones and pillars around it, but something was off about them. They looked alive and all but…But they were different.

Both women approached with caution as they got closer to the stone in the middle, the one with the green aura.

Khara narrowed her eyes at the stone, she swore that she could hear something. _Hi los ni med fin fahliil uv fin jul,_ a deep voice whispered in her mind. Khara shook her head as it began to feel heavy. She removed a gauntlet and slowly reached to touch the stone, she needed to touch it. "Serana." She said in a low voice.

"Yes?" Serana asked as she turned to look at her.

"Pull me away from the stone if I don't seem like myself." The wolf told her. In the moment she touched her stone, she felt something enter her mind, or someone.

" _You are not like the others."_ A voice whispered to her.

Khara grimaced as her eyes were forced shut, whoever this was, they were forcing their way into her mind, and it was painful.

" _There is something different about you, but also something else, I can sense it, something…Familiar."_ Khara did not like the tone of his voice, not one felt like shackles wrapped around her head, there was a pressure that kept building. She felt the urge to kneel, to sit down and kneel, but she wouldn't do it.

" _You resist? Interesting…"_ The voice kept quiet for a little while before speaking again. _"You intrigue me."_ There was a picture in her mind during those last words, like a vision. On the middle of the island there was a temple, and old broken-down temple.

"Who are you?" She managed to let out in a low whisper.

" _You already know my name_." The voice whispered before Khara was pulled back from the stone. _Miraak?_

Khara opened her eyes and gasped for air, it felt like she had been under water all of a sudden, like she had been denied the right to breathe. She fell to a knee as she felt light headed.

Serana kneeled down by her side as she kept a watchful eye of the people around them.

Khara opened her eyes and placed a hand on Serana's shoulder, thanking the woman. "I think you pulled be back just in time there." She said as she was breathing heavily.

"Yeah, I think so too." Serana said with a little smile as she looked at her wolf. Those blue eyes were burning brightly once again, but they had a good reason this time. "Who were you talking to?" She asked.

Khara offered her a small smile as she calmed her own breathing. "Miraak I think." She said with a small frown. She looked at Serana. "There is a temple on the middle of the island, I saw it." _Did he made me see it?_

Serana nodded. "Do you think we'll find him there?" It seemed to easy, but they had little choice, they had nothing else to go on.

"I don't know, but I think we should go and check it out." Khara said.

"Agreed, lets do that." Serana stood up and helped Khara up too. "Feeling better?" She asked with a concerned voice. Just a moment ago Khara looked as if she was ill.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little spooked that someone was in my mind for a moment." Khara said as she inhaled deeply, it was so good to finally breathe again.

Serana chuckled a little. "Shouldn't you be used to that by now?" She asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Khara joined in and released a small laugh too. "You'd think so." She saw Serana's point. Her wolf aspect, dragon aspect and even Serana had access to her mind, it could be very crowded at times.

They tried to talk with some of the others that were at the stone, but they got no contact with the people there. It was like what ever had happened to Khara was also happening to them, but they weren't able to resist it. _We need to get to the bottom of this_ , Khara thought to herself as they walked away.

They found a path that seemed to lead in the direction of the temple Khara was talking about. It didn't take them long before they reached it, and just like the stone down by Raven Rock, this place was also packed with people who was working on the temple, repairing it. The way the temple looked was unlike anything they had ever seen before. The architecture looked wicked, like it had come from another world entirely.

"They look like zombies." Serana said as they slowly made their way to the middle of the temple. As they reached the middle of it, they spotted two people is odd robes and strange masks. They looked like some sort of priests, but who did they serve?

The two men turned towards them and one of them spoke. "You two, you were down by Raven Rock earlier? You touched the stone?" He asked.

Khara and Serana shared a look before Khara spoke. "Yes, that's us." She said, hand ready to grab her Blade if needed.

The man nodded as he moved to the side and used a hand as he gestured to the floor. "Lord Miraak is expecting you." The floor opened up to reveal a set of stairs that would take them down and into the temple. "Please, follow the path and you will find Miraak, he is looking forward to meeting you."

The priests kept their gaze on them as they walked down the stairs. Something about this felt strange, but if they had the chance to get to this Miraak without the need to spill blood, then they would take it.

The temple was different from what Khara was used to. It was similar to the old nordic ruins that was spread out all over Skyrim, but where there would normally be art and sculptures of dragons, there was a lone man instead. There were whole dragon skeletons inside the temple, like they were trophies. There were also many priests, just like the ones that had given them access to the temple, but they ignored them as they walked. There were undead that walked through the empty halls, but they did not attack them, they didn't even see them.

"Is this some cult?" Serana whispered as they walked deeper into the temple.

"Seems like it, doesn't it?" Khara said back as she looked around them. She didn't like this one bit, and she was starting to regret walking into this unknown place, but most of all she was beginning to regret bringing what she held most dare in this entire world down here with her. Her aspects were on the alert, every sound, every smell was a threat until proven otherwise and when they felt something, or saw something, they let Khara know right away.

The path they had walked turned into something like a tunnel now, it was smaller and seemed like it would take them even further down underneath the earth. As they reached the end of the tunnel, they could see a room. They entered it and looked around, this room looked different from the rest of the temple, the entire room _felt_ different. In the middle of the room there was a book, it was old and worn and both Serana and Khara knew right away that this was no ordinary book.

"Are we supposed to read it?" Khara asked as they approached it, unsure of what else they could do.

Serana shook her head. "I have no idea, that thing is giving me the chills." The book it…It sounded like it had a heartbeat, books don't normally have that. _What is this?_

Khara nodded as she kept her eyes on the book. "There is nothing else here, this must be it." She said.

Serana stepped closer to her wolf and reached for a warm hand. "Together?"

Khara grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Always."

They both reached over at the same time and opened the book. As the pages were revealed to them, a darkness entered their vision. A darkness that seemed to come out of the book, it reached out for them and dragged their minds into unknown lands. The only thing that was true and real in that moment was that their hands remained linked throughout it all.

* * *

It was dark, and something else. Where were they even? Khara's vision was blurred and she couldn't see where she was. This place wasn't warm nor cold, it was just _nothing._ Khara would rather sweat like mad or freeze instead of feeling this…This _nothingness_.

"What is this?" A voice could be heard, Khara knew this voice, she had heard it only a few hours earlier.

Khara furrowed her brows as she shook her head. She was on her knees, arms on the ground as she struggled to stand up. She felt weak, so very weak. She managed to lift herself up a little and sit on her knees. Her gaze swayed to the right and she spotted Serana who seemed to be in a similar state as she was.

Khara turned her head back to the sound of the voice as it spoke once more. "Ah, I see now. You were at the stone." A man kneeled down before her. It was now she saw the background of their surroundings. The skies were green, a bright awful green. There were towers of… _Is that books?_ Suddenly a hand reached out for her and gently grabbed her chin, her eyes were forced to look at the man, who was wearing a mask. His touch was gentle, and it didn't hurt, in fact, she didn't feel anything but the pressure of his fingers on her chin.

The man kept looking at her for a minute before he spoke again. "You're weak but fear not. This is your first time here, it will be easier the next time, Khara." The tone of his words seemed like they were honest, kind even, but they sounded foreign on his tongue, they did not match his deep voice.

She furrowed her brows and opened her mouth. "How do you-." She inhaled deeply. "Know my name?" She mumbled, it felt like she was underwater again, breathing was difficult, and she didn't like having this stranger so close.

The man kept looking at her. "I know a great many things. You and I we have… _Many_ things in common, Khara." His voice was so calm and controlled, it was frightening.

Khara furrowed her brows as she lazily brought her hand up to the man's arm and she pushed it away from her face as she stumbled a little back. She dragged herself back from the man and managed to get on her feet. "Miraak." She said as her eyes looked at him.

"You have nothing to fear here." He said as he stood up and took a few steps back.

Khara remained unconvinced as she stumbled over to Serana. She fell to her knees right next to the vampire and brought a hand protectively over Serana as she kept her eyes on Miraak. "I have nothing to fear? Why can't I even breathe without draining myself then?" She asked as she lowered herself closer to Serana. _She's breathing, good._

"This realm takes time to get used to. This is your first time here, is it not?" He asked as he studied her, the way she moved, talked, her eyes, everything. He looked at the woman before him with interest.

Khara slowly nodded. "Where is _here_ exactly?" She asked as she looked around once more.

He chuckled, it was deep and unsettling. "This is Apocrypha, where all knowledge is hoarded."

Her eyes widened. "We're in Hermaeus Mora's realm?"

"Correct, not what you expected?" There was humor in his voice, yet she did not see the humor in this moment.

"Why are we talking, Miraak?" She asked, she was supposed to kill him and end this entire thing, so why were they trading words with one another?

"Well we have little choice." He said as he kneeled down to be at the same level as Khara. "You aren't here in your full power and thus can't be subject to my full power. We can't hurt each other, Khara." He explained, and the wolf wanted to believe his words, bit she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"You wanted me to come here?" She asked as she looked down at Serana. The vampire was struggling, more than Khara. Serana wasn't even conscious, this realm must weight more heavily on Serana than Khara.

"I did." His voice caused Khara to look at him again.

"Why?" She asked, did he know why she was here?

"You are dragonborn, so am I." He said.

Her eyes widened. _What?_ "What?" She asked in shock, this couldn't be true, could it? _I…I do not know, goraan gein,_ her dragon told her.

"I was the first, the original. I can see that it is hard to believe but it is true, I have dragon blood in my veins, just like you do."

 _What does he want?_ "Why did you want me to come then? Surely not to just tell me this?"

"You and I, we can help each other, Khara." Miraak told her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why would I trust you?"

"We are the only ones left of our kind. In a way we are family, don't you think? Both of us were brought here under the will of our father, Akatosh."

"What do you want from me?" Khara asked the man.

He stood up. "I wish to return to Tamriel, to my home. But I cannot do so on my own, I need help. Your help." He began to pace back and forth, slowly.

"I need something as well…" She said as she followed his movements.

"I know, and I know what it is. Hermaeus Mora wants me dead, yes?" He stopped and looked over in her direction.

He wasn't looking at her this time though, he was looking at Serana. Her wolf aspect growled. "He does." She said with a nod, there was no point in lying now, and she didn't want to anger him, not when she knew so little about him.

He shook his head. "So much for centuries of service." He mumbled. "What deal did you make with him?" He asked her.

"If I killed you, then he would give me information that I need." She said as she tightened her grip on Serana.

"And what do you need?" He asked as he tilted his head.

Who was this man, who was he really? She had never heard of him before, and that made her wonder. "I need to know how to remove a soul from a Daedric artifact." She told him.

"And you think that Hermaeus Mora will give it to you if you kill me?" He asked her as he continued to look at her through that mask of his.

"He gave me his word." She said.

"And you trust a Prince of Oblivion? He will twist his own words, Khara. He will make you regret ever speaking to him. This deal you made? You will not be satisfied with how it ends."

"And how would you know?"

"I've known him for a very long time. I've seen servants enter the realm and leave it, they all ended up dead, and I believe that you will end up the same way. He will trick you." Miraak said as he looked at her now.

She didn't understand his worry. "Why do you fear for my life?"

"For we are the same, we should work together. I do not need an answer, but I know the knowledge that you seek, I know how to remove souls." He kneeled down again, as if it would make him more trustworthy to the vigilant wolf.

She kept her silence for a while before speaking. "Then why don't you give me what I seek. Earn my trust by giving me what I need." It was a long shot, she knew it.

"I can't, because you're not really here, only a fragment of you are." He said, his voice a few tones lower this time, like the fact of her not fully being here angered him in some way.

"Then show me where it is, it's a book, right?" She asked.

"It is, but it's hidden, I cannot find it again." He shook his head.

"Then I'll find it."

"Khara, this is Hermaeus Mora's library. You can spend a thousand lifetimes here and not find what you're looking for."

"I have all the time in the world." She told him, she couldn't age after all.

"You might, but what of the item that forced you down this path? The soul that needs removing?" he reminded her, and it made her aspects hiss.

She sighed. "What do you want? And give me a real answer this time."

"I want you to keep looking for Black Books, it is what brings you here. There are more out there, on Solstheim that are waiting for you. The more you read the more powerful you will become while in this realm, and thus you can help me, and I can help you."

"And what is it that you really want, Miraak? Enough games." She was beginning to get irritated now.

"To leave this place and return home. I want to know what it feels like to have the cold wind of my homeland against my skin once more, I want to be free of Hermaeus Mora's shackles."

"And what would you do if you were set free?"

"I would live my life." Were his honest words.

"And would that cause other lives to end?" She asked him.

"No, it would not." _But were those honest words?_

"I won't make any promises with you, not yet, but I will seek out these books you talked about." She had to, she needed to become more powerful while in this realm is she was to kill him, or to help him.

"That is all I ask of you." Miraak told her as he took one step closer.

"How do we return?" She asked as she gently lifted Serana into her arms.

"I can send you back." He told her.

"Do it." She commanded.

He stood up. "As you wish." He summoned a spell in his hands and raised them over his head. "Remember, Khara, don't trust Mora, he will always try to make his side seem like the right one to choose. Go to Saering's Watch, there you will find a servant of mine, he will guide your path." He casted the spell on them and once more, darkness came into view.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Miraak:** Hi los ni med fin fahliil uv fin jul. **– You are not like the elves or the men.**

 **Dragon aspect:** Geh. Goraan gein. **– Yes. Young one.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I know its been a little while now. I didn't think school and work would be this exhausting, but oh well…I've played though Dragonborn DLC again and gotten some ideas and all, but I need to tell you all that the Dragonborn DLC is not going to be the main part of this questline, I have another idea, or plan even.

I won't tell you what it is, because you will soon find out anyways. This ''quest'' won't last as long because I really don't fancy the Dragonborn DLC all that much, not the main quest anyways, so the whole Miraak/Hermaeus Mora/ Apocrypha part will not take like six chapters to write, I'm not even sure if I'll manage to write more than one more chapter to be honest, it's just really difficult. But just because this part of the quest won't take that long doesn't mean that we will be done with Solstheim all together. I can see Khara and Serana returning there in the future for many different reasons.

Miraak is different in this story, and I don't even know if he in an ally or a foe yet, time will surely tell. (I freaking hope it will, I have to write it after all XD.)

As I am sure you all know by now, I like to change a few things and do them a little differently from what really happens in the game. This quest in no different in that matter, I do have a plan and because I don't think I will be able to write even two bloody chapters while on Solstheim, you will find out what will be different very soon. It might seem dull, boring and maybe not worthy compared to what really happens, but everything happens for a reason, no? But yeah, I just wanted you guys and gals to know that, but nothing it written in stone, I might change my current plans. I just really hope that I can make our stay on Solstheim/ Apocrypha last longer than what I can see right now, but I will only write stuff that I feel is worthy of this story, so if there is only one chapter left of words about Solstheim, then that's fine by me, and I hope it if for you too. And I promise, Solstheim, along with its characters and quests, will be in the future of this story.

Take care my beautiful beasts and cheers for the follows, favorites and reviews, they keep me going.

-Zep


	29. Chapter 29

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 29_

 _Temptations_

Serana fell to her knees, her body felt numb and her eyes were unable to open. The only thing keeping her calm was the sound of Khara's heart, but…There was another heartbeat there too, a different one, one she was not familiar with.

She felt something in that moment, something she had hoped she never would feel again, a presence of something she feared, of something that had been the seed to so many of her restless nights in the past.

 _He will lie,_ a deep voice whispered in her mind, its voice echoed throughout her head as all other sounds ceased to exist.

"You have nothing to fear here." A voice said, a different voice from the one that was in her mind, it was the voice of a man.

 _But she won't believe it._ There it was again, the whisper. Her mind trembled as it spoke, and she felt chill after chill creep down her spine, like an endless wave of water.

"I have nothing to fear? Why can't I even breathe without draining myself then?" _That's Khara,_ Serana thought as she continued to listen, her eyes still not able to give her vision, to let her see where she was and with whom.

 _So, he tries a different approach._

"This realm takes time to get used to. This is your first time here, is it not?" The man spoke again, was this man Miraak?

 _She is not ready to answer his questions._

"Where is _here_ exactly?" The wolf asked.

 _This angers him, but he does not let it show, doesn't let it be heard._

"This is Apocrypha, where all knowledge is hoarded."

 _Welcome to my domain, Daughter of Coldharbour._

Serana was suddenly on her feet, but the whole room she was in was dark, there was nothing around her, nothing but a form of tentacles and eyes, the form of Hermaeus Mora. Words could not describe the dreadful feelings she felt in that moment. "Where am I?" She asked as she took a few steps back, she wanted to get away from him, her mind screamed at her to do so and her feet was more than willing to give into that fear.

"Where is your body? Your fragment or your mind? You are currently in so many different places, Serana. You need to be more specific." She couldn't speak. "Your body is in Tamriel still. Your fragment is in Apocrypha with Khara and my _servant,_ Miraak, and your mind is here, with _me_." Hermaeus Mora told her as he hovered in the air. Everything about him was unnatural, even his voice.

She gulped and parted her lips. "What do you want?" _Swallow your fears, Serana._

He came a little closer, so many eyes were looking at her, she didn't know where to look herself. "I simply wished to warn you of Miraak's _true_ plans. In this very moment he is talking with our dear Dragonborn, but his intentions are hidden and…-" He hummed. " _Untrue_." His voice turned into a growl at that last word, and Serana didn't like it one bit.

An echo of a voice could be heard. " _Why are we talking, Miraak?"_ Khara's voice whispered, it echoed around them. It caused Serana to look around, but all that she was met with was darkness, pure, raw darkness.

Another voice spoke now. " _Well we have little choice. You aren't here in your full power and thus can't be subject to my full power. We can't hurt each other, Khara."_ Miraak's voice could be heard now.

"Those words, unlike the others, are true. However…" Mora's voice faded and Serana's eyes looked at him, waiting for what was to come.

" _Why did you want me to come then? Surely not to just tell me this?"_ That was Khara again.

" _You and I, we can help each other, Khara_." Miraak said.

"He doesn't need Khara's help you see, he only needs Khara." Mora told her. "With her soul, and all the souls she carries, he will be able to return to Tamriel. That is his true desire, and he will stop at nothing to get it." Mora's voice was unlike any other, he hissed, whispered, growled and laughed, his voice knew so many tones that it only made Serana listen more carefully to him.

" _And you think that Hermaeus Mora will give it to you if you kill me_?" Miraak asked the wolf.

" _He gave me his word_." Khara said.

" _And you trust a Prince of Oblivion? He will twist his own words, Khara. He will make you regret ever speaking to him. This deal you made? You will not be satisfied with how it ends_. _I've known him for a very long time. I've seen servants enter the realm and leave it, they all ended up dead, and I believe that you will end up the same way. He will trick you as he has tricked so many before you._ "

"And he tries to convince her by bringing disgrace upon my name." He hissed with anger. He had saved Miraak's life all that time ago, showered him with knowledge others would kill their most beloved to obtain and taught the man more than what should be possible to fit in a mortal's mind. Everything that _was_ Miraak, was because of Hermaeus Mora, or so the Prince thought.

Serana flinched a little over the pure _hate_ in Mora's voice. She was sure that he could kill mortals with the sting that accompanied those words.

" _Why do you fear for my life_?" Khara's voice echoed throughout the dark room.

" _For we are the same, we should work together. I do not need an answer, but I know the knowledge that you seek, I know how to remove souls from even the most powerful of objects._ " Why was Mora showing her this? What would he get out of it? And who was speaking the truth, Mora or Miraak?

"He does not know the knowledge you seek; his words are simply for his own benefit." Hermaeus Mora said, his voice was suddenly behind Serana now and she quickly spun around to face him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Serana asked, but the Prince didn't answer her question, instead he let some more words be heard.

" _And what would you do if you were set free?"_ That was Khara.

" _I would live my life."_ Miraak again.

"He would." Mora said, his voice was calm this time.

" _And would that cause other lives to end?"_ The wolf asked.

" _No, it would not."_ Miraak said.

"It would." Mora whispered again.

" _I can send you back."_ Miraak's voice whispered.

" _Do it."_ That was Khara again.

" _As you wish."_ Would this finally be over?

"Heed my warning, Serana, I would hate to see Khara meet her end so soon while I still have plans for her, you too still have parts to play in the tides of fate. I am sure that we will speak again, _soon_." Just like the darkness his voice also began to fade.

* * *

Serana rolled onto her back as she tried to fill her lungs with much needed air. She looked to the side and spotted her wolf who was still very much alive. _Good_. She moved over to Khara and grabbed the woman's shoulder, pulling her onto her back.

Khara was also breathing heavily as she was rolled onto her back. She was relieved that their little visit to Apocrypha was over for now. She was also glad that she, but more importantly, Serana was alright. Khara just looked at Serana with those glowing blue orbs of hers.

Serana's eyes locked with hers. "Hey." She said.

"Hey yourself." Khara said back, they both smiled over their old greeting, it was their thing after all.

"How are you?" They both said at the same time, which caused them both to chuckle.

The wolf looked deeply into orange eyes and spoke. "You were unconscious." She pointed out.

Serana nodded. "A part of me was, I was with Hermaeus Mora while you were talking with Miraak."

Khara raised her eyebrows. "You talked with him?"

Serana nodded again. "I did, I also managed to hear bits of your conversation with Miraak, but only what Mora allowed me to hear."

 _That can't be good._ Khara slowly nodded, what was Mora up to? "Miraak said we can't trust him."

Serana sighed. "Mora said the same thing about Miraak."

Khara closed her eyes and sighed as well. "What have we gotten ourselves mixed up in this time, Serana?" She asked in a low voice as she opened her eyes again and sat up.

Serana reached out and cupped Khara's cheek. "Nothing we can't get ourselves out of." She reassured her wolf. "We just have to be careful, everyone is an enemy until proven otherwise. Right now, it would seem like both Miraak and Mora wants us to get to Miraak, we can work with that." She said with a nod.

Khara nodded. "You're right, as usual." She said with a smile.

"Damn right." Serana said with a small smile.

"Damn right." Khara said back, was this a new thing of theirs now? _I like it,_ Khara told herself and her aspects.

"Well, I got nothing on my end, you?" Serana asked, Mora hadn't given her any information of how to proceed.

Khara patted Serana's knee. "Yeah, a location. We're supposed to meet a servant of Miraak there, or so he told me." She then remembered the name of the location. "Saering's Watch, that's where we need to go."

Serana furrowed her brows. "That sounds a little odd."

"Yeah, tell me about it. This _servant_ is supposed to guide our path." Khara said as she shook her head. "We need to get more Black Books in order to get to Miraak. He said that those books will make us more powerful while in Apocrypha."

"Do you think he spoke the truth?" Serana asked her wolf.

"I really can't tell, but either way, we will need our full strength." Khara stood up and offered a hand to Serana. They walked back out of the temple and after a little while, they could breathe relatively fresh air again, if they ignored all the ash.

The skies above were grey, the trees were grey, the ground were grey. There was nothing that stood out, everything just blended together. "I want to get off this island as fast as possible." Khara said as she looked around them. _We agree,_ her aspects whispered back.

"You and me both, this place is dreadful." Serana agreed as they began to walk.

* * *

Khara was lost in thoughts, and even a little conflicted. She was to kill Miraak, if he was just another man that was in her way she wouldn't feel this way, she was sure of it, but… Miraak wasn't just any man, he was like her. She could feel it when she had spoken with him, she felt his aura, his energy, his inner _dragon._

 _You haven't decided,_ her dragon aspect said gently. She shook her head and confirmed it to her aspects. _How can I?_ She thought back. _For all we know, he might be the only one like me._

 _Then don't do it._

She furrowed her brows as the words echoed in her mind. She had given her word to Mora that she would slay the man. To not stay true to her words, even to a Daedric Prince, didn't sit right with her, it wasn't in her nature. But Khara knew that her aspects were wise, clever and even cunning if it was required of them, her inner dragon had a plan. _Tell me,_ she commanded.

 _But you already know,_ was all she was given. Khara's eyes widened as a plan was set in motion inside her mind. It forced her feet to stop their current task.

"Khara?" Serana turned towards her once she noticed she was no longer walking alongside her wolf.

Glowing blue found glowing orange. "What if there's an easier way to end all this."

Serana stepped closer and tilted her head. "You're talking about Miraak and Mora." She stated.

The wolf nodded. "I am. I just feel like Miraak has some sort of role to play still. It's weird I know, but I have this feeling in my gut that he isn't supposed to die yet." Serana saw that her wolf was confused. "But I don't know how to change the promises we've already made with Mora, to cross him would be unwise." She sighed.

Serana thought about it for a moment. She didn't need to discuss this with Khara, she trusted her completely and if Khara felt like this was the wrong move then Serana would be right there with her. "It would." She said before continuing. "We've made a promise to him, but even a Daedric Prince can have his mind changed, Khara." The wolf looked back at her with a special look, that look that meant she knew Serana had a plan. It forced Serana to smile. "What if we make Mora want something else out of Miraak. To even get in contact with Mora he must have wanted something from him, something valuable."

Khara's eyes lit up. "And if we can find out what that is, we can offer Mora a new deal."

Serana smiled and winked at her. "Precisely. All we need to do is meet with Mora again and do some clever questioning to find out if there is anything Miraak has that Mora would want more than seeing the man dead." They began to walk again and as they did Khara let out a small laugh, it made Serana look at her.

Khara shook her head and just smiled back. "You're a genius, you know that? An _absolute_ genius." She said with a firm nod as she moved her head to look at the path ahead.

All Serana could do was smile as she too thought that this plan might just work. Not having to fight with Miraak would safe time for certain. And that was most valuable as neither knew how long the mages of the College could hold the energy of the Star stable.

"Do you think they're alright still, back at the College?" Serana asked after a few minutes.

"I really don't know, someone would have sent a raven if that wasn't the case, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." Serana nodded as they continued to follow the path that they were currently on. "What will happen with the Star if we can manage to make it stable, does the College keep it?"

"It depends, I will have to speak with the others about it. Who knows? Maybe we can even get Azura herself to take it back once she sees we have cleansed it."

Serana nodded and looked up to the skies. "That would be best."

* * *

"Why ask us to find his servant only to make us walk to another place?" Serana huffed as she kicked a stone. It made the wolf chuckle.

"The dragon did say he was sorry." Khara pointed out as they walked.

Serana shrugged her shoulders. "Still…I mean, how does he even manage to lose a Black Book? It's not exactly small." She huffed.

"Hey, we'll find it, and we'll fix this and go home. I promise you that. Let's just get to this village he mentioned and ask around, someone is bound to know something." Khara assured her.

Serana looked at her wolf and sighed. "I know, you're right. It just feels like we're going in circles." She said as she looked around them, ash for as long as the eye could see.

"Hey, look at me, we're going to-." A shriek echoed around them.

Both women drew their blades out of habit and stood back to back as they had no idea of where the sound came from, at least not yet. They then heard it again and this time they also saw the owner or owners to the sound.

"What are those?" Khara asked as she looked at the small army of what looked like blue goblins. They had fur armor on them, spears that looked like they were arrows due to the size. "They're so tiny." Khara said with a tilt of her head as she continued to look at the little army.

"Goblins? But last I checked, goblins were green." Serana said as she stood alongside her wolf.

The small blue creatures walked closer as they too looked like they were wondering on how to proceed. They made small sounds, like they were communicating with one another as they got even closer. One of them stood out though, one was wearing noble clothing, which looked comical since the clothing was too big on its little body. The chieftain, or whatever it was, charged them without his brethren and ran at full speed towards the women.

Serana was the first to act and instead of using a spell or her blade, she kicked the creature as soon as it got in range, using all of her strength to send the little thing as far up in the air as possible. As it flew through the air, all of the other goblins looked at it with wide eyes. The chieftain let out a loud shriek once again as it flew over a ledge and possibly down to its demise. Once it was out of sight, the rest of its little army looked back at Serana. They made some more noise before dropping their weapons and falling to their small knees.

"What the?" Khara whispered as she looked at the sight before her. The goblins were worshipping Serana, or that is was it looked like. It made the wolf release a loud laugh due to the look on Serana's face, the poor woman looked confused beyond measure.

Serana on the other hand had no idea of what to do at this point. "Khara." She hissed. "What in Oblivion are they doing?" She said as the goblins were now on their feet, eyes still glued on Serana as she spoke.

The way they looked at Serana, the sounds they made forced a thought to enter Khara's mind. "I think you just became their leader." Khara said with humor as she took a few steps back to get a better view of all this. As she came to a stop, a sound behind her stopped her current action. She turned around, blade still in hand as she came face to face with a woman. "For the Skaal!" A very angry woman.

Khara quickly rose her blade to block the attack coming from the stranger. She jumped back and quickly shouted. "Who the fuck is the Skaal?" _Who is this woman?_

The woman looked even more pissed now. "My people!" The woman shouted again as she continued her attack. "The ones you have forsaken! You and your wicked master!" Hatred, this woman was pissed and fueled by hatred.

 _What are you talking about?_ Khara thought as she continued to counter the blade that kept swinging at her.

Serana looked at the two women and got an idea. She turned to her newly obtained army and pointed to the fight. "Grab her!" She commanded, and the little blue soldiers charged towards the fight. They were fierce, surprisingly quick, and… And dumb. Serana groaned as her soldiers grabbed Khara instead of the stranger. "The other one!" She shouted once again with annoyance in her voice and this time, they got the right woman.

They threw their ropes around her, making her fall to the ground as they jumped on her and tied her down rather quickly. The woman kept squirming underneath them as she tried with all her might to get lose, but it was useless, these ropes wouldn't loosen. "Bested by Rieklings of all things…" The woman mumbled as she calmed down.

 _Rieklings, eh?_ Both Khara and Serana walked over to the woman and knelt down next to her as they had questions for her. "Care to share why you attacked us?" Khara said as she looked at the stranger.

"Are you serious?" The woman said with anger. "You know damn well why I attacked you. You serve that _monster_." She hissed at them. "But the Skaal is onto you, and we will have our vengeance."

"What in Oblivion are you talking about? I serve no one, and we-" Khara gestured between herself and Serana. "-Just got on Solstheim, we literally have been her only a day." Her voice changed. "So, you better explain why you attacked us when we have never been here before, never met your Skaal or whatever you called it, and why on Nirn you think we serve this _master_ you keep referring to."

"I will never-"

"By the Gods woman!" Khara grabbed Nettlebane and with a quick move she released the woman.

"We're not your enemy, but if you rise that sword of yours one more time, we'll have these guys-" Khara gestured to the Rieklings behind her. "-Tie you up again."

The woman took a step back as she looked at them. "You work for Miraak, I saw you leave his temple and then talk with his overgrown lizard of a minion on the mountain."

"No, you have it all wrong." Serana lowered her hands and took a step closer. "We don't work for him, nor are we his allies." Serana looked to Khara for help.

The wolf nodded before she too spoke. "We come from Skyrim, we're from the College of Winterhold." Khara added with a nod. "We're here to stop a disaster back at the mainland and Miraak may be the key to stop it."

"That is why we were at the temple and why we talked to his servant." Serana said with honesty.

"Then why is it that you're walking towards my village with an army of Rieklings?" The woman said as she let her eyes fall to the blue creatures.

"The dragon said we needed to go to a village to find what we are looking for." Serana told her.

The woman eyed them with skeptical eyes before speaking. "Which is?"

Khara inhaled, hoping that the woman might know something of use. "A Black book."

The woman's whole posture changed at the mere name of it. "I can save you the walk and tell you now that we do not have it. We stay away from the twisted creations of the demons you call Daedra." She spat, clearly the mention of anything Daedric related made the woman uneasy, and if Khara had to guess, then she would believe that the woman had her reasons.

"Then can you point us in the right direction?" Khara's eyes locked with the woman's. "Please." She added.

The woman sighed as she looked around them, her eyes fell back on Khara's only a moment later. "As I said we do not have it, but there is one that might be able to help you, he might even have it for all I know. To the south there lives a Dark Elf named Neloth, he is the one you want to talk to." The woman said as she began to walk away from the others. "Whatever there is you're going to do, you would do the whole island a giant favor if you put an end to the dark magic that is at play here." Her eyes met theirs again. "Don't make me regret this." She said before she vanished between the trees.

Khara released a breath as she was relieved that she did not have to cross that woman in combat, she felt drained. But one thing is that now they might know who has the Black Book and if they can get to the book, then they can get to Mora.

"Now we have to go to another place?" The charming voice of Serana said with annoyance, it made the wolf release a silent chuckle.

* * *

"Don't you think that we should see if there is anyone in Raven Rock that knows anything about the ash spawn? They might have useful information. I for one haven't gotten any further on my own." Talvas said as he looked at the old Dunmer woman that sat beside him.

"Master Neloth can offer more light on that than the villagers can. And besides, I like it here, hardly anyone bothers us." The woman sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "People can be so irritating." Elynea said back. She was about to complain more about the villagers of Raven rock, but her eyes spotted something that forced her to take other actions. "Talvas, get Master Neloth now, we have visitors." The old woman said as she looked at two strangers that seemed to be followed by a gang of Rieklings.

The young wizard did as he was told and fetched his master right away. Together with Master Neloth they walked outside to the ash-filled air and greeted the strangers. "How am I supposed to get anything done when people keep appearing at my doorsteps? Who are you and what is your intention here, speak up." Perhaps it was the tone of his voice, perhaps it was the look on his face, either way, Khara had met the likes of him before. Ignorant, selfish and there was something about the way he moved, he thought very highly of himself.

 _Let's see if he has the right to act this way then_ , the wolf aspect growled. "You're Neloth, I assume?" Khara asked.

"Master Neloth of House Telvanni. I would be offended if you were anything but a Nord, seeing to how your kind have little understanding of the true power in this world." _Did he mean magic or himself?_

 _I do not like it,_ her wolf aspect growled as Khara continued to look at the Dunmer. "Master Neloth then, we've heard that you know something about Black Books." Khara said as she ignored her aspects thoughts.

Neloth changed his posture and dismissed the other Dunmer, once they were alone he moved closer. "You refer to the tomes of esoteric, prohibited and even dangerous knowledge that the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora have planted all around our fragile, little world." He eyed them for a moment longer. "Yes, I know of them."

Khara nodded. "Then I think you know why we're here." She said as she crossed her arms and studied the man. He seemed like a wise man, but his wisdom was hidden behind that arrogant act he held.

He nodded. "I most certainly do. The secrets that the tomes hold is dangerous, and it has the power to turn it's reader mad, but dangerous knowledge is still knowledge, and all knowledge is power, at least in my book." He said with a small, clever smile. _Did he just make a joke?_ "And so it seems that I have something you need, which means the real question here is what can you offer me of equal value?"

There was something in the way he said that last sentence. "You know who I am, don't you?" The wolf asked.

"That I do, Dragonborn, Thane, _Archmage_ …" Khara narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't been to the College in a very long time, so I would assume that your collection of books has increased greatly. Books that I, most certainly, would find useful in my research."

"Knowledge for knowledge, is that it?" Khara asked the elf.

"Indeed. Do we have a deal then?" Neloth asked as he stretched out his hand for Khara to shake.

"Sure, but the books will stay in the College, you are not to take them with you outside the College's grounds." Khara said as she reached for his hand.

Neloth moved his hand a little back. "Then I require access to your personal collection of books as well."

Khara gave him a stern look. "As long as they stay-"

"Within the College's grounds, yes, yes I got it." He said as he grabbed her hand and firmly shook it. "Well then, come with me and I shall give you the book."

"Wait, you have it here?" Serana asked surprised, she was preparing herself for another long walk over this dammed island.

"Of course, it was in the ruins of a dwarven city not long ago, but I managed to get it out of there before the whole city was swallowed by the sea." Neloth informed them as he guided them into his tower.

Serana quickly turned her head towards Khara and whispered. "Finally." A huge smile playing at her lips as she spoke. The wolf only mirrored her smile as she rolled her eyes, but she too was glad that their search for the Black Book finally would be over as she wanted nothing more to get off this island.

As they entered the tower, leaving their little army behind, Serana was baffled when she saw the magical energy before her. "Is that levitation magic?" She asked, hadn't she read somewhere that it was banned?

"Of course not, I am no lawbreaker. It's raw arcane energy, so much of it in fact that it allows us to be lifted. My device allows me to change the flow of it, allowing me up and down the tower safely." He explained as he stepped into the blue energy, and sure enough the man began to float upwards. "Come now, I have a busy schedule. The sooner you're done here, the sooner I can get back to it." Neloth's voice could be heard coming for above.

Khara was skeptical and thus, turned to Serana. "Ladies first?" Serana wasted no time as she almost jumped into the beam. As she too floated up she could help but smile, magic never ceased to amaze her. Meanwhile Khara gulped as she slowly walked into the beam. She had her reasons to act this way of course, she hadn't had the best experiences with new magic, or just magic in general as most of the time they were headed for her, with the intent of harming her, which may be why the wolf had taken on to learn about illusion and alteration magic out of all things, seeing to how they aren't as deadly as the other schools of magic.

"Woah." Alright, it felt weird. The magic currently carrying her felt strange around her body and Khara couldn't decide if it was a good kind weird or a bad kind weird yet, it was just strange.

Once all of them were on the second level of the tower, Neloth put the book down on a table for them to read. "I take it you have dealt with Black Books before?"

"Yeah, we have." Serana said as she and Khara walked closer to the creation of Mora.

"I thought so, you have the look. Take your time and be careful whilst in there, if you have read a book before then that means you'll be there with a bigger fragment of yourselves this time." He told them as he walked over to a bookshelf.

"Which means?" Khara asked the Dunmer as she saw him grab a book.

"Don't die." Was all he said as he walked into another room, book in hand as he was clearly distracted by the letters on the pages.

"Good advice." Khara mumbled as she placed herself in front of the book. Her thoughts were beginning to turn to a dark path but were interrupted as a cool hand touched her cheek, followed by a gentle kiss on the other.

"We just have to talk with Mora, he is fuel by anger, Khara. Our plan will work, I know it will." Serana spoke, but she could see the gears turning in her wolf's head. "Hey, look at me." She added gently and not even a moment later their eyes met. "Do you trust me?" It was a foolish question really.

"Always." The wolf would follow her through all the realms of Oblivion and back if she asked.

And Serana knew it. "Then follow my lead." They closed their eyes, touched the book and both were swallowed into it.

* * *

"We want to talk." Serana said as she walked closer to the being that was Hermaeus Mora.

He looked down at her and hummed as he approached them. "Do you now? Talk then, Daughter of Coldharbour. You have my full attention." He said as he settled down and listened to her.

"Your wish with how we deal with Miraak." Serana said, hoping that the Prince would know of what she meant.

He hummed again. "Yes, what of it?"

"It's clear that he has dishonored you, put shame upon your name and made you question his loyalty to you. He has done all these things and still, all you want is his death? To kill him would be swift, easy and over in a mere moment, Prince of Knowledge. Don't you want him to suffer, for him to struggle, so that what he has done to you for all these years can be repaid?"

"Continue." He said as he was interested in what the woman had to offer him. For what could she offer him? She was a vampire, yes, but he was a Prince of Oblivion.

Serana nodded to him before speaking again, she was a little worried, but she wouldn't let it be shown in her voice, not to him, not now. "What does Miraak value most? What has he been learning for all these years whilst under your protection? You made him an offer, didn't you? You gave him something that he wanted."

Mora's many eyes widened before he let out a deep, low chuckle. "Indeed I did." He then lowered himself closer to the vampire. "You are a magnificent little dark thing, child of the night. Perhaps you are a good influence on our Dragonborn after all." He said as he looked over at Khara. "There is one thing that he almost died for, all those years ago. Knowledge so valuable and powerful that whole battalions came to his temple in search for it." He then came even closer to Serana. "Make him lower his guard and I will _take it_ from him. I will leave traces of it, so that he will remember some of it, so that he will dearly miss it. But there is more you must do."

Serana looked at the Prince for a moment. "What is it?" She asked him.

He growled. "Our dearest Khara must be the one to make him lower his powers, I want him to feel betrayed, like he betrayed me." Hatred filled his voice.

Khara looked at the Prince and nodded. "It will be done."

"Good, good." He said. " _Then do it_." He growled.

They were then teleported to another part of Apocrypha, a part where they had been before not long ago. They were back to where they had met Miraak, and the man was standing before them. He got closer to the pair and spoke. "Back so soon?" He asked them.

Khara spoke as she looked around. "Yes, we have a way for you to get out of here."

"Already?" He chuckled. "You're effective, I'll give you that."

Serana met Khara's eyes, the wolf nodded. "My friend here-" Khara gestured to Serana. "Knows of a spell that will allow you to leave this place without Mora's knowledge."

He looked at the woman beside Khara. "Truly?"

"Yes, I am one of the oldest vampires in Skyrim, if not all of Tamriel. I've had endless amount of years to learn spells no one would think even existed in the first place."

Miraak walked closer to the magical barrier that was between them. "Impressive, and you did that without the need of Mora and his library?"

Serana nodded. "I was in a clan, and we had many allies back then, powerful allies."

"I see, what is required to cast the spell then?" He asked as he couldn't help hiding the desperate tone in his voice. He wanted out of this twisted realm badly, but at what price?

"You need to lower the barrier." Serana told him calmly.

He lowered his gaze. "That would make me vulnerable to Mora's power, I'd be dead within mere seconds." He said in a lower voice.

Khara nodded. "We know, but we'll get you out before that." She said as she walked as close as the barrier would allow her to.

Miraak too stepped closer to Khara and searched her face. It was a risk to trust these strangers, but it was a risk he was more than willing to take. Slowly he removed his mask, revealing his face for the two. "Promise it to me, promise it so I know it's true." He said as he knew promises of dragons were unbreakable.

Khara swallowed. "I promise you that you'll get out of here, alive. You have my word, Miraak."

Silence. It was a sound of itself, and it was deafening at times. And it was this time too. Miraak simply looked at her, searching her eyes as he made his decision. The green lights of Apocrypha could clearly be seen reflected in the man's eyes as he made up his mind.

Serana looked up and saw the barrier falter, until it was gone completely. She then looked back at Miraak who looked at her with hopeful eyes, it stung a little knowing that the hope in his eyes would soon leave him. Serana and Khara took a few steps back as they knew what was going to happen.

Miraak on the other hand was confused. With furrowed brows he spoke. "You promised." He said as he tried to raise the barrier again, but it was too late. A shadow swallowed him and as the man turned around to face its owner, Miraak was met with the horrendous form that was Mora.

"And she will keep her promise, _Miraak._ You will not die this day, however…" He got closer as endless waves of tentacles circled around the man. "You will wish you did." Mora whispered as he grabbed Miraak. Mora raised Miraak high into the air as his grip on the man tightened. "And you will wish you never betrayed me." Mora hissed as a tentacle got closer to Miraak's head. "And you will wish you never met me." More tentacles came into view. "And you will wish that you were never born! That is the punishment that is before you! The one I will bestow you! For I am generous, and you are still my servant, so you will live, yes, but will it be a life?" Mora roared at him as he moved his tentacles closer. "We will soon see." He whispered as he plunged his boneless arms into the man's body.

Miraak's screams of torment echoed all around them as Mora continued to speak.

"Let this be one last lesson, Miraak. One last bit of wisdom from me." He moved Miraak so that he would see the women beneath them, so that he could see Khara. "Trust is a lie. Loyalty is an illusion, and hope? Hope is worthless." Miraak's eyes changed in that moment, they turned into something that wasn't the eyes of a man, but a monster, a dark thing. And all of the hatred currently flowing within those eyes were all focused on Khara and her companion. Was this who he really was or was this the man Khara had created with Mora, just now?

"Let us see then, how well you fare without my protection." And with that Mora banished Miraak from his realm. Mora looked down at the women before moving closer to them. "I am pleased, you did your part and you did it well." A scroll appeared in front of them, hovering in the air. "And I reward those who serve me well. Here is what you desire…" He said.

Khara shared a quick look with Serana before she reached out to grab the scroll, but the Prince wasn't done with his twisted games just yet.

"But…I am no fool, for I can see that in that big heart of yours that you long for something else, Khara." He said as a second scroll appeared before them. "You want to know who you are, where you come from…" He got even closer. "Your parents?" He floated around her. "You were not born in that forest all those years ago, you were put there." He let his words be swallowed by silence before he continued. "And you have a father…" He got closer. "A mother." Slowly he gave her some personal space. "Maybe even siblings."

Serana closed her mouth as she looked at the Prince, then at Khara. Her wolf stood still, eyes glued on the new scroll. Mora saw the longing in Khara's eyes, but also the uncertain look they held.

Serana was about to speak, but as she was about to, Mora stopped her. Serana was silenced and rooted to the ground, held back by an invisible force surely controlled by the Prince. All she could do was watch as he tried to get into Khara's head.

Khara wasn't going to lie, she was tempted to take the scroll, tempted to see what secrets it held of that part of her life that she couldn't remember. That part that felt like it didn't exist within her.

But she had no need for parents, for she had endless numbers of allies and friends to guide her. She had no need for a father when that role was so perfectly taken by the master of the Graybeards, Paarthurnax. She had no need for a brother nor sister when she had a brother that she would die for, Odahviing. And why would she need a mother's loving embrace when she had something much better standing only a few feet away from her. Khara looked to her side and looked at Serana and gave the woman a small smile before looking back at Mora.

"I know who I am. Where I am from, and for my family?" Khara looked at him. "I have a family that you cannot be born into, you must earn your place." Her eyes challenged him to try and change her mind. "With this-" She grabbed the scroll that they needed. "I have everything I could ever need, and you have nothing else that I want, that I desire. And I mean no disrespect, Lord Hermaeus Mora, but I hope that this is the last time we cross paths."

He looked at her. "You are strong, for being able to hide such primal desires, but I see through you." He narrowed his eyes. "I would be a fool to stop my pursuit of you, Khara. You would be the most perfect servant." He moved out of her way and showed them a portal. "But for now, you've done as I asked and so, I will do my part of our deal." Were his last words as he vanished to tend to his twisted world.

Khara and Serana walked quietly towards the portal and as they were about to enter it, Khara turned to look at the lonely scroll that hovered a few feet away from her, the scroll that holds information about her. Was Mora being honest when he said what he did about the scroll, did it truly hold the identity of her parents? Of herself and where she was from, or was it a trick that the Prince had hoped Khara would fall for? Fifteen years had been taken from Khara, fifteen years that were a black mist in her head.

 _Ask yourself this, Goraan gein. Do you need it?_ Her dragon aspect asked her.

"Khara?" Slowly, eyes stuck on the scroll for as long as they could, Khara turned to Serana. Serana didn't speak, nor did she think anything in that moment, she let her eyes do the talking. Their eyes locked and neither were able to look away.

 _Do I need it?_ Khara asked herself in the back of her mind as she looked into those orange eyes. And she really looked this time. She looked into those eyes who filled her mind most of the time, those eyes that she had the most wonderful dreams of, and most wonderful days with. She looked at them long and hard, those eyes who put the sun to shame, those incredible, wondrous eyes.

Having the wolf look at her the way that she did made Serana feel a warmth spread throughout her body and settle on her cheeks, she looked away as the wolf's gaze was simply to much for her at times. It made Khara smile.

So, did Khara need the other scroll? The wolf chuckled over the foolish question. _No, I don't_ , the wolf thought and it most have been the most honest thought she had ever had on the matter.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Did you expect the girls to stay on Solstheim for many chapters? I'm sorry, but I needed to get off of this damned island as fast as possible really, but if you were disappointed that we didn't really get to do a lot with Miraak then don't worry, I have a feeling that we might just meet him at a later date in this story. I don't want Miraak as an enemy, but I don't think he would fit into the role of an ally either, so I've made another plan for him.

And I think I've said this before, Solstheim was never the true focus of this questline I've created. We still have some parts left that I will show you all very soon. And we'll meet someone too, someone that I've wanted to get into the story for a very long time, maybe all the way back to the beginning of it. This is a character that is in the vanilla game, and I hope that they will make an impact.

Other factions will also appear and change, and we'll get to interact with all of them. Since I've spent such a long time away from writing I have created so many interesting ideas for our story, and if I do it right, I might be able to make all of them come true.

I'm sorry but I've had a bad case of writers block and work has taken time too, but I just needed to get over this whole ''Solstheim part'' of the story, now I write the other parts that I have very fleshed out versions of in my head already, I just need to transform those pictures and such into words for you to read.

There is one person who is responsible for me getting back into the story, and his or her name is **Rogueturtle.** Thank you for sending me a message and making me get that last bit of motivation needed to start writing again, you rock.

This chapter is the shortest one yet, and hopefully it will stay that way as I am sure it will be easier to write the coming chapters.

I'm not sure, but I think I might be back into writing again, we'll see. Until next time have a good one guys and gals.

-Zep


	30. Chapter 30

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 30_

 _Memories of Old_

"Is it weird that I feel bad about this." Serana asked as she waved her hand.

Khara turned towards her. "I don't think so, surely they knew that you wouldn't stay for long."

Serana tilted her head as she looked at the sad faces of her Rieklings that she had grown a little fond of, they were annoying, sure, but they had their charm. "I wonder if they'll remember us."

"As if anyone could forget you." The wolf mumbled.

"Shut up." Serana said with a small laugh as she nudged Khara from where they both leaned over the railing on the ship. As they sailed away from the jewel that was Solstheim, the little Rieklings tried to follow them along the shore. They were shouting and roaring at them, begging the women in their own language to come back.

Khara chuckled as she looked at Serana. "They'll manage, I'm sure." She said in a low voice as she looked at the beauty beside her. With the wind hitting them the way that it did, it only made Serana that much more beautiful for the wolf as the waves of wind made her hair move gracefully around her face. Khara was knocked out of her thoughts as a sailor walked right behind them, reminding the wolf that they were still very much in the open, so she lowered her gaze before looking back at the retreating form of Solstheim.

Serana had noticed though, she always did. She grabbed Khara's hand and tugged at it. "How about we go to our room and rest before we get to Windhelm?" She offered.

The wolf smiled. "Let's do it." She answered, and they made their way under deck. As they entered the familiar room that they had shared once before, Khara looked at the scroll as she placed it on the table in the corner of the room.

Serana came up from behind and leaned close as she placed both hands on the wolf's shoulders. "Should we read it now?" She asked gently as she rested her head on Khara's shoulder. "Do you want to?"

"I do, and I don't." Khara answered honestly. "We could wait till we're close to Windhelm or even back at the College." She turned her head to the side, her nose coming in contact with smooth skin. "It's your call." She whispered.

"Then if it's my call…" Serana snaked a hand along the wolf's arm, before gently grabbing the scroll. "Then I say we wait and rest." She said as she removed her cloak and wrapped it around the scroll before placing it back at the table. She then took some steps back until she was met with the bed. "Because I am exhausted." She said as she sat down and let herself back backwards onto the soft fabric. "And if I know our luck, it will most likely want us to go to some _forgotten_ dungeon in the middle of nowhere to grab an item of _absolute_ power."

Khara watched with amused eyes as she got most of her armor off before sitting down on the bed herself. She patted Serana's thigh as she looked at the woman. She was impressed over how Serana had handled this whole journey to Solstheim as she knew that Serana felt extremely uncomfortable around Daedric creations, minions and what not, so when they had to face a Prince of Oblivion, Serana had surely not felt all that safe, and who would blame her? But it was the way that the woman had handled it that impressed the wolf. Serana had swallowed her fears and stood up to it.

"You're staring again." Serana said with closed eyes.

Khara faked a cough and spoke at the same time. " _Appreciating_." Which caused Serana to snort. Khara then moved to sit back against the headboard as she just smiled at the woman. "I'm proud of you." She said gently, and the tone of her voice was so genuine that it caused Serana's heart to flutter over just how soft the wolf's voice was. Serana opened her eyes over the words and looked to her side, to her wolf. "You were brave, and you stood your ground."

Serana searched her wolf's face. "I was terrified." She admitted quietly.

Khara gave Serana a kind smile. "When you're scared is the only time you _can_ be brave. Being brave means doing something you're afraid of."

Serana didn't say anything for a little while, she just looked at Khara because the wolf had been brave too. Mora had offered Khara something that the wolf was curious about, he had claimed to have information about Khara and where she came from, her family and her past. "I could say the same about you." She said as she moved to sit next to the wolf. She took Khara's hand in her own and offered the wolf a gentle squeeze.

The wolf kept her silence as she simply moved her head to Serana's shoulder. With eyes closed she inhaled deeply before speaking, because she knew of what Serana was talking about. "He's a Prince of Oblivion, I can't trust his words to be true. He was lying, I'm sure of it."

Hermaeus Mora had just lost his most valuable servant, his most prized asset. It's possible that the Prince had just spoken with false words to the wolf in an attempt to gain her favor, and Khara prayed to the Gods that it was the case, and that Mora did indeed lie, because now the wolf wondered, _what if?_ It kept whispering in her mind, _what if?_

* * *

They walked into the College and with haze they made their way to the room where the Star was being housed. As they walked they felt the whole structure shake, letting them know that the situation with the Star had not gotten any better.

After their arrival at the Windhelm docks they had both agreed not to bother themselves with what the scroll said they needed to do, as they would need to explain it to the others when they got to Winterhold anyways. But now they were there, and it was time to see what the scroll needed them to do.

They entered the room and was met with the familiar faces of Tolfdir, Urag, Nelacar and Aranea, they were all there, ready to calm the Star for whenever needed. Tolfdir looked over to them and rose from his seat. "By the Gods, you're back!" He cheered as he walked closer. "How did it go? Did you get what you needed, did you meet Hermaeus Mora again?"

Urag rose from his seat and walked over to the old man. "Calm yourself, Tolfdir." The orc then looked at the two women. "So? Did you manage to get it?" He asked as he too was curious, all of them were.

Serana nodded as she unwrapped the scroll and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. "We did. We haven't read it yet, we thought it would be better to do it here, with you." Serana told them as the others walked up to the table.

"Well then, let's see what it says, shall we?" Nelacar said as he looked at the others. He received several nods before opening the scroll for all to see.

They were all quiet as they read the words, the ritual that had to be performed in order to solve this issue with the Star. "This doesn't look all that bad to be honest, manageable for sure." Aranea said as her eyes scanned the worn scroll.

Tolfdir hummed before his eyes landed at the bottom lines. "Oh dear…" He mumbled, his tone far from encouraging.

"What?" Khara said as she lowered her eyes to read the words. It said that they needed a soul gem, _is that it?_ "So we need a soul gem, we have plenty at the College." Khara said.

"We do, but I'm afraid they won't be enough." Urag placed a finger over the poorly drawn picture of a soul gem. "This is no normal soul gem, it's special, unique."

Nelacar looked at the symbol next to the drawing. "What plane of Oblivion is that?" He asked, this symbol was foreign to him, he had never seen it before.

Aranea saw the symbol and sighed. "It's the realm of the Ideal Masters." She said, but the only response she got from the others were confused looks, from all but Serana. "The Ideal Masters? Rulers of The Soul Cairn?" The vampire remembered this from somewhere…She was sure that her mother had mentioned it once or twice in the past, but that was a long time ago, and the memory were so foggy.

"The Soul Cairn?" Urag said as he thought for a moment. "I've heard it before, but I don't think we have any books about it, not here anyways."

Khara looked around and felt a little foolish, she was the Archmage and still she had never once heard of this realm of Oblivion before. "What is The Soul Cairn?" She asked.

Serana then remembered a conversation she had with her mother and spoke. "It's where all souls that are trapped in black soul gems go once their energy have been depleted."

"Correct." Aranea confirmed.

Nelacar nodded slowly. "So, let's get this right. We need to get this special gem that, by the looks of it, can only be found in The Soul Cairn…" He then looked around at the others. "How do we get there?" He asked them.

"That is the question…" Tolfdir said as he sat down in a chair.

"I may have something in the library, but I doubt it." Urag told them.

"It's still worth a look, take some of the students to help look for it, Urag." Khara told the orc who left the room right away.

Quickly after that, they all went back to what they were previously doing, guarding the Star as they let their minds be filled with possible ideas for how to reach the realm of the Ideal Masters. As time passed, Serana was beginning to remember more about what her mother had mentioned. She sat down by a table in the corner of the room as she tried with all her focus to revisit that day when Valerica had spoken about it. Her eyes closed as her mind opened, and all she could do was sit still as her mind reminded her of that day.

* * *

 _Serana sat down by Valerica's alchemy table, she had worked all day and felt like her mind was about to explode due to all the new knowledge that had entered it within the last few hours. She spotted her mother coming closer, book in hand as she was consumed by it._

" _You've received the new order of books already, Mother?" Serana asked as she rose from her seat and began to clean the alchemy station._

 _Valerica rose her eyes only for a moment before letting them fall again. "That I have." She said calmly._

 _Serana took a quick look to see just what her mother was reading about. "Anything interesting?" Serana asked in an attempt to make conversation with her mother, something that was proving more difficult for each passing day._

 _Her mother hummed. "Quite, it's about where black souls go after they have been used, there is a lot of interesting theories in this." Valerica said as she gestured to the book. She placed it on the table in the middle of the little room and looked at her daughter. "Have you created the potions as I asked?"_

" _Yes, they're on the shelf." Serana's curiosity weren't sated just yet though, she wanted to know more. She had never heard of this Soul Cairn before, and just like most new things, the young woman found it interesting. "What is the Soul Cairn, Mother?" She asked carefully, acting as she weren't all that interested._

 _Valerica looked at her daughter before answering. "It's a realm of Oblivion, the realm of the Ideal Masters."_

" _The Ideal Masters?" Serana asked as she used a rag to clean the table she had worked at._

" _Not much is known about them, but they rule the realm. No one knows for just have long they have done what they do; collecting souls." Valerica then walked over to the shelf to inspect her daughter's potions. "These are all theories, of course." She grabbed a bottle and brought it closer to her face. "But there are those who believe that the Ideal Masters use souls as a currency, and some even believe that they answer to a higher power." Valerica then looked at her daughter again. "Why the sudden interest, dear?"_

 _Serana's eyes widened a little, but luckily, she wasn't facing her mother. "Oh, I just wanted to know a little more about soul gems is all." She then turned around to look at her mother as she leaned back at the table. "I'm thinking of starting to do some more research on enchanting, like you asked a few weeks ago."_

" _Good to see you finally come to your senses, you should go to the library, you know where the books are. There is no need to spend your time about this book of fiction." Valerica gestures to the book._

 _Serana gave her a forced smile as she walked out of the room. "Maybe I just wanted to spend my time with you." She mumbled to herself as she was already well on her way to her bedchambers, the library could wait._

* * *

A sound next to her snapped Serana out of her thoughts. "You alright? You seemed pretty far off that time." Khara said with a small smile as she sat down by Serana. The wolf then gave Serana a cup that was filled with red liquid.

Serana smiled at her as she took the cup. "Thank you, and I'm fine, I just remembered a conversation I had with my mother once." She said before taking a sip, making her feel goosebumps all over, she loved it.

Khara's interest peeked at this, it was rare that Serana talked about her mother, or her past without the wolf asking about it. "Oh? What did you talk about?"

"The Soul Cairn." Serana said and the wolf leaned closer. Serana placed both her hands around the cup that was resting on the table as she looked to the side. "She had this book with her one day, and I can't remember ever seeing it again, but it was about the Soul Cairn, the realm itself, it's masters and just a whole lot of theories about it."

Khara nodded. "That book could be useful." She pointed out.

Serana hummed. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"Do you think it's still there somewhere? In the castle?" The wolf asked.

"I really don't know, Mother was always very careful with her research and work. I guess it's possible that she kept the book, but that leads to another question…Where did she place it? My home isn't exactly small, I don't think even I've been to all the rooms of the castle."

"Did your mother have someone within the Clan that she trusted greatly? Someone who might have been included in her research?" The wolf asked.

Serana's eyes lit up at that. "Yes, yes there was." She said excitedly as she leaned closer, sitting on the very edge of the chair. "Mother often spent time with Garan in her lab and garden, he always helped her with making orders and purchases."

Khara smiled as she placed a hand over Serana's. "Perhaps another meeting with Garan wouldn't be such a bad idea then." She then remembered something. "Oh, that also gives us the chance to give Garan the enchanted rings, I had forgotten about them." She said as she placed a hand over one of her pouches, they were still there.

"Oh yeah, we still have them." Serana said as she reached into her own pocket and grabbed her own ring. "We should inform the others, and also save Urag from his possibly endless search throughout the library." Serana said as she was about to stand up, but a strong hand kept her in place.

"You stay here, finish your drink. I'll deal with this and send my raven to Fort Dawnguard with the rings." Khara said as she thought it better to have the rings sent directly to the Fort instead of having to bother Garan to get it there instead.

Serana was planning on coming with the wolf, but she was so very comfortable where she sat, and with a cup of the most precious liquid was between her hands. "Will it even be able to carry all of those rings?" Serana said as she let the wolf have her wish.

"With the aid of a little magic it will." Knowing that they had their privacy, Khara placed a loving kiss on Serana's head before she spoke once more. "I'll be back soon." Khara made Tolfdir walk with her as she walked to the tower, to where the ravens lived.

Serana leaned back in her seat as she continued to drink from her cup. She was to go back home, or to her old home. It would be strange, seeing to how the last time she was there she…She had dealt with her father. But on the other hand, she had to admit that it would be good to meet with Garan again.

Serana shook her head with a smile playing at her lips as she remembered the time she had spent with Garan. When her parents had put her to work, forcing her to work for days on end, Garan had been a breath of fresh air the few times he had snuck in to the alchemy lab or library to cheer her up or to simply strike a conversation with her. Serana was sure that if it wasn't for Garan, Serana would have gone mad centuries ago. For he was the only one that she could have a conversation with, a real conversation where she didn't have to constantly consider her words. She could see why Valerica had turned him, he was wise, loyal and kind to his own.

She didn't know for how long she sat there, staring at the stone walls, but she didn't think that much time had passed. She suddenly heard something though, and it sounded like it was something big by the sound of it. Her head rose as she looked to the cealing, as if she would see anything.

"That's the dragon." The voice of a young man told her. Serana looked to the young boy and rose an eyebrow at him. "The sound you heard." He said before nodded. "It was the dragon landing on the roof."

"There's a dragon at the College?"

"Yes, Archmage Khara helped it some years ago to escape Blackreach. And since then, it has called the College its home."

"Interesting."

"It is, if you're tough enough, you can head up the stairs and see if you can't strike a conversation with it." The boy joked as he walked out of the room, probably to attend a class.

 _Why not?_ Was Serana's thoughts as she got up from where she sat, she grabbed her enchanted cloak and walked out the room. She found the stairs and followed them up until the was met with a door, she opened it and stepped outside. It was snowing, but there was little wind for the moment. As she closed the door behind her she quickly spotted the dragon that was comfortably lying with its face on the floor turned towards her.

He was watching her with a bored expression on his face, and Serana couldn't really blame him as he probably got lots of visits by curious mages and other visitors to the College. He huffed loudly and moved his tail closer to his body. "Bo wav koraav fin dovah, lost hi? Wah koraav fin Sunvaar?" Just as the other dragons, his voice too was deep.

"Nid, zu'u laan fin stin su." Serana answered calmly as she walked over to the side of the roof and sat down on its railing. She had to smile when she could see that the dragon's head followed her movements as she walked.

"Hi mindok dii tinvaak?" He asked as he continued to look at her. As he spoke his head was still resting on the stone floor, it made his head shake as he spoke, which only caused Serana's smile to widen.

"Geh, nuz ni pogaas." She knew a few words, but not enough to have full conversations yet. Luckily for Serana, the dragon seemed to be pleased with her knowledge of Dovahzul.

"Then let us talk in your tongue." He said as he finally raised his head. As this was a very rare thing indeed, he moved closer to the woman as it had been a while since he had last spoken with anyone who knew his language, the language of dragons. "We have not met before, I am Vulthuryol, and you are?"

"Serana, pleasure."

"Indeed, I have never been met with your kind before, Serana." He said as she studied her. "Most of the time I am visited by foolish kro, mages." Their conversation ended when the door opened and Khara came into view.

"I see you found Vulthuryol." She said to Serana as she walked over to the dragon. "Ahnok, Vulthuryol."

"Greetings, Archmage."

She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Speaking our tongue now? You normally don't"

"Geh, do not get used to it, I was only showing Serana the same kindness she showed me." He then stood up and stretch his wings. "Going somewhere?" He asked, which he later regretted when he saw the look on Khara's face.

She smiled at him. "Yes, actually…" She looked at him for a moment longer. "I was planning on calling for Odahviing, but seeing to how you're already here…" She dragged out that last word as she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Vulthuryol looked back at her with skeptical eyes, he knew what she was thinking about. "Fine, but this is the only time, I am not a key, a mount."

Khara smiled at him. "Duly noted." She said as she then looked over to Serana. "How about you, you ready?"

Serana nodded and walked closer. "That I am." She said as she offered her wolf a smile.

"Alright, let's fly." They mounted Vulthuryol and quickly he flew into the air, wanting this to be over with as fast as possible. "Do you know Castle Volkihar, Vulthuryol?" Khara asked him.

"Nid, I do not." Was his answer.

"Fly to Solitude and follow the coast to the west. The castle is on an island to the north." She told him. Vulthuryol did as he was told and turned to fly towards the capital of Skyrim.

As they flew through the night sky, Khara noticed that Serana was very quiet, more so than normal. It wasn't hard to see why that is though, seeing to how they were going back to a place filled with old memories and feelings, both good and bad, but with the bad being the most recent. She didn't need to break the silence, actions spoke louder than words after all.

She reached her hand behind her and held it there, she didn't speak, and she didn't think, she simply held it there. It was when cool, soft fingers glided into her palm, that she finally brought her hand back in her lap, still holding Serana's hand with a firm, yet gentle grip. She felt the woman lean into her back and exhale. _Let this go smoothly_ , the wolf prayed as she looked down to her lap, to the pale hand, _for her sake._

* * *

"Shall I stay close while you look for what it is you seek?" Vulthuryol asked them as they jumped off his back.

"I don't see the need for it-" Khara looked at him. "It's up to you, really."

The dragon nodded as he turned his head to the castle. "I think I will sate my curiosity a little while longer, I have not seen structures like these for a long time." He said as his eyes roamed the nearby tower. When the women had moved a little away from him he quickly made his way to the top of it.

The wind had picked up now, and it wasn't comfortable at all. Khara placed a hand on Serana's back as they walked up the path to the castle's entrance. Once close to the door they spotted one of the clan members. Their footsteps caused him to quickly look at them. His face changed through fear, then surprised, followed quickly by excitement before he quickly bent down, eyes not meeting Serana's nor Khara's. "My Lady, I wasn't expecting you, my deepest apologies."

"That's alright. It's Ronthil, correct?" Serana asked the man.

"Yes, my Lady." He said with a small bow.

"Well then, Ronthil. Is Garan here?" She asked him.

"He is, you wish to speak with him I assume?" Serana nodded to him. "Very well." He opened the door and let the women walk in before he too entered the warmth of the castle. They walked down the stairs and were now in the dining room where a few others of the clan were currently seated. "I shall find him right away." He told them as he vanished down into a corridor.

This time around, Khara actually had the time to fully see the inside of the castle seeing to how the last time she was here, she had little time to do so. Chandeliers hang from the high cealing, candles firmly placed on the stone walls and on the long tables in the room. Whilst this was in heart a vampire lair, it strangely held some warmth to it, something the wolf found both interesting and strange.

"Why are the others refusing to look at us?" Khara whispered as her eyes scanned the tables in the room, and the individuals sitting by them.

Serana looked at her wolf. "It's about respect. In their eyes, we're above them."

"Like werewolves then?" The wolf asked as she tilted her head.

Serana offered her a smile. "Yes actually, just like that." She waited a little moment longer before speaking again. "So, I was wondering…"

Khara looked at her. "About?"

"About Vulthuryol, you found him down in Blackreach?" She asked.

Khara chuckled. "Yes, I did. He claimed that he was brought down there ages ago by the Dwemer and suddenly one day they were just gone, leaving him all alone with those horrible falmer. It was quite the task to get him out of there, but with help of the College, we managed."

Footsteps caused their conversation to be put to a pause as they turned around. There was Garan, with a pleasant smile on his face. "Beautiful night is it not my Ladies?" He bowed his head. "I must admit, I did not expect to see you both so soon, is all well?" He asked them.

Khara shrugged her shoulder. "To some extent."

"I see." He then turned to look at Serana. "You wanted to speak with me, my Lady?"

"I do, but could we do so in private?" She asked as she didn't want the others in the room to eavesdrop.

"Well of course, if you would follow me." He led them over to a door and once inside he closed it. "The others can't hear us in here, I assure you."

Serana smiled to him before speaking. "We need to find a book, one about The Soul Cairn."

His eyes widened. "The Soul Cairn?"

She studied his reaction. "Mother told you about it?"

He furrowed his brows as he moved a hand to his forehead. "I…I can't quite remember, I've heard it before, but the whole memory is blurred." He sighed as he shook his head to himself. "Lady Valerica did let me in on some of her work, yet not all of it. I keep hearing the Courtyard in my mind, but I do not know why." He sighed as he looked at Serana. "I am sorry that I cannot be of greater help, my Lady. If I remember anything else, I shall inform you immediately, but until then perhaps looking around where your mother spent most of her time could reveal something useful." Garan offered as he simply couldn't remember much about his time as Valerica's assistant at all, it was almost like the memories no longer existed, it was strange indeed.

"Thank you, Garan. We'll stay for a little while and keep looking."

"Of course."

Khara then spoke. "We also sent the rings you asked for to Fort Dawnguard, they should have arrived about now."

"Wonderful, I am sure Hestla will find them most useful, thank you." He looked back at Serana. "Your bedchambers are as you left it, so if you need rest, you know where to go. If you require anything else I will be here, you have but to ask."

Serana nodded as she walked out the room, her wolf right behind her. "Could we maybe take a little break?" Serana asked Khara. "It feels strange to be back here." Her voice was low and filled with old emotions.

Khara's eyes widened over the tone of Serana's voice, she sounded so drained all of a sudden. "Yeah, of course." The wolf followed Serana into what had to be her bedchambers.

Serana guided them into her room and exhaled once inside, it was like Garan said, not a single thing had been misplaced. It was just like it was when she left it, all those years ago. She heard Khara close the door behind them but couldn't bring herself to turn around. She thought that going back here wouldn't be so challenging, but she was wrong. So much had happened within these stone halls, too much. "I'm sorry, I thought I would be fine with going back here." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Clearly I'm not." She huffed as she lowered her head into her hands, her mind was spinning, her memories racing, and she felt uneasy.

Serana heard footsteps approach, she felt hands on her knees and she could smell that scent that always seemed to calm her. "You can't blame yourself for that, you have every reason, Serana." Khara had an idea, and she hoped it wasn't a lousy one. "You know, I'm sort of glad that I'm not the only one of us who has bad days, here I was thinking you were this impeccable, superb princess of perfectness." _Please laugh, please laugh._ Serana released a small huff of a laughter over that. _Success!_

"I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but I'm far from perfect."

Khara hummed. "Well in that case, let's be imperfect together, yeah?"

Serana released another laugh at that. "How long have you waited to use _that_ line?" She asked as she finally removed her hands and looked into those amazing, non-glowing blue eyes of her wolf.

"I'd rather not say." Khara said with humor, Serana's smile faltered a little, but the wolf wasn't having it. She squeezed Serana's knees and spoke. "So what if you're a little rough around the edges? In case you haven't noticed yet, you're like my missing half, the parts of the puzzle that I thought I had lost long ago." Her words were so honest, so pure…Serana didn't know how to react to it, she could only let the tears fall.

"Don't you wish that it wasn't like this? That I wasn't this…This _damaged_ over my parents." Her voice broke her wolf's heart.

Khara quickly shook her head. "No, I don't. While I can't say that I like seeing you like this, because seeing you hurt hurts me. But all those things that happened in the past made you who you are today, and I absolutely adore you, all of you." Khara moved a little as she got on both knees. "I don't think there is even a word to describe how you make me feel, how you make my heart jump like mad or how you seem to invade my thoughts every second of every day." Khara said as she watched the cheeks of her lover being run over with tears.

Khara sniffed, because she too felt just how heavy the air had gotten. "And it's alright to feel this way, like you do now, it's natural. But please, Serana, _please_ know that you're not alone. I'm right here, right next to you, always. If there is something bothering you, then you can tell me right away, you don't have to carry it all alone, I swear I can handle it." The wolf then gave her the most wonderful smile she could, it was almost blinding. "I'm tougher that I look, so just lay it on me whenever you need to." The wolf added.

Serana then pulled the wolf up from her knees and hugged her with all she had. Hands gripping with all their might at the wolf's armor, arms around her so tightly that anyone else would be crushed due to the raw strength. But the wolf couldn't complain because she was doing the exact same to Serana.

As time passed so did their position. Khara had moved and was laying on the bed, Serana still firmly in her grasp. With Serana laying as close as she did, head firmly placed under her wolf's chin, Khara ran her fingers through dark hair as she felt the woman melt more and more into her embrace. "I wish I could take your pain away." She whispered.

Serana closed her eyes. "You already do."

* * *

Serana came back to consciousness as she stretched her legs, that warm comforting feeling one normally get after a quick nap invaded her senses as she chose to keep her eyes shut. For a moment it was likable, it felt nice because she didn't yet remember where she was, for a small moment she had escaped the reality of her current situation and it felt heavenly. Slowly though, she recalled where she was, but also with whom. She could feel movement and it was light and delicate, but more importantly it was warm, so incredibly warm.

Serana opened her eyes but wasn't met with much of a sight. She could see a shoulder, that she knew, and some parts of an arm. A sound then stood out, it was strong and steady, and just like that she knew who she was with.

"How long have I've been out?" She whispered groggily, sleep clearly heard in her voice.

"Not long." The calm voice of Khara answered.

Serana sat up some more and was met with the wolf's face. And once she saw that face, those eyes, nose and, and _everything_ , she just had to do something. She wondered if she should feel bad, because every time she wanted to do something for the wolf, she almost always did the same, she kissed her wolf senseless. But by the way the wolf's heart jumped and hands gripped around her, Serana guessed that the wolf was just fine with it.

It was soft, light and gentle, yet it held so much more behind it, more than the two could ever know, they could only guess. For this time is said specifically one thing; thank you.

When their lips stopped their tender dance, they both still needed to feel the other, to have the other close still. Their foreheads met and pressed against each other as both let out a breath. Khara was the first to open her eyes. With a hand she moved some hair out of Serana's face. "How about some fresh air?" She offered.

Serana smiled, because she was just about to say the same. "Fresh air sounds good." She said with a small nod. The wolf got out of bed and pulled Serana with her, but not before placing another kiss on the woman, this time on her forehead.

The halls of the castle were quiet, almost chillingly so, but what is one to expect from the home of vampires? Serana led them through the halls, to a door that would take them to the castle's courtyard. The door creaked as it opened, granting them access to the outside. And when orange eyes finally met the courtyard, they were filled with sorrow. The once beautiful and colorful trees and flowers there had been transformed into something dark, all the stunning and exquisite colors had been replaced with that of a dark grey, where there was once life, there was now only death and decay.

"What happened here?" Serana whispered mostly to herself. Her eyes roamed the entire yard, all of it until they landed on something in the middle of the yard.

Khara too was looking at it. "What is that?" The wolf asked as they both walked closer to it.

"It's a moondial."

"A moondial?" Khara tilted her head as she looked at it. "I can't say I've seen one before."

"I think it might be the only one in existence, or at least that is what Mother once said."

"Interesting." Khara's curiosity got the better of her, she wanted to examine it further. She walked closer, when a question entered her mind she turned to face Serana, but she was met with a moth that had taken an interest in her face. As the tiny insect reminded her of that time she was swarmed in Ancestor's Glade, the wolf recoiled back in an attempt to escape the little bastard. Her foot landed on one of the many crests that were on the ground around the moondial, however this one must have been a little loose, because as she stepped on it, it clicked down in place, making the whole ground shake a little, but only for a second.

Serana turned around swiftly to see what her wolf had done this time. As their eyes met, Khara's whole posture straightened, like the wolf hadn't done anything. Serana narrowed her eyes. "What did you just do?" She asked.

Khara rose her hands in defense as she was worried that she might have done something wrong. "I stepped on the crest?" She said as she leaned to the side, the damn moth was back again. Khara swung her hand towards the two-winged beast but was forced to take a couple more steps back as the insect wasn't giving up just yet. The wolf's feet stepped on a few more crests and nothing happened, at least not until she stepped on the fourth one. Once more the ground shook, and Serana's eyes fell to the remaining crests. There was one more who looked like it wasn't fully in place and she walked over to it.

Khara swatted the moth away and this time she finally managed to hit it. _Aha!_ She turned towards Serana who was walking closer to the moondial, as the woman came to a stop before one of the crests she looked up to Khara. "I swear your clumsiness is a godsend at times." She said with a smile as she placed her foot on the crest. The ground shook and the moondial moved, revealing something that both women had no idea that was hidden there. Khara walked closer and saw that there were stairs leading underneath the moondial, she looked back up at Serana.

 _Is this why you dismissed me all the time? Is this your doing, Mother?_ "I bet you that it will take us straight into the tower ruins." Serana said as she nodded to the stairs.

"Well…Shall we?" Khara asked as she too looked down the dark path.

"Yes, I think that somehow, Mother knew about this. The months coming up to when Mother led me to Dimhollow, whenever I would come out here to help her or just talk to her she always dismissed me or abruptly stopped what she was doing." Serana walked down a few steps. "Perhaps this is what she was working on, what she was hiding." A hand touched her shoulder.

"I'm right behind you, let's see what's inside."

They went down the stairs and entered the door. They were in this little corridor now, in the end of it a shelf was on one side and a chain hang on the other. They shared a look before pulling the chain, making it so that the wall in front of them moved. A scent hit them, a scent that they were both too familiar with. "There's fresh blood here." Serana said.

"Then there most likely are someone or something else lurking in here, stay sharp."

Serana led them into the next room. There was cooking pots and whatnot all around, this was probably the tower's kitchen. They soon found the blood marks and without anything else to go on, they followed the blood up a set of stairs where they once more was met with a door.

The next room was much bigger than the last, it was a dining hall. Their eyes fell to the table in the room, just like the tables in the castle's main hall, this hall too was filled with the undead, only that these ones have had all their flesh ripped off. _Skeletons._

With a step of their feet the whole room came alive, lights shone, candles lit themselves and the undead…The undead rose from their seats. There was five of them and they were all so close together, but the wolf didn't trust the structure to be able to stand the power of her shouts, so her Blade and dagger was her choice. As most times, Khara was the one to charge as Serana summoned her spells.

The wolf gripped her weapon tightly as she ran towards the closest foe, as it raised its weapon to meet her she quickly bent down, sliding along the floor and hitting the skeleton hard in the leg, so hard in fact that it broke. She jumped up and her vision locked on to her next target.

Serana finished Khara's latest victim before casting a frost bolt to the wolf's side, hitting the wolf's unseen enemy. "Thank you!" Khara shouted. Serana grabbed her blade as she charged up another spell in her other hand. She ran to her companion's side and blocked another attack that was aimed at her wolf. Serana was swift with her movements as she ran around the wolf, taking down foe after foe. When all but one skeleton laid in piles of bones on the floor Serana finally looked to her wolf.

"What in Oblivion is this one made of?" Khara said as she was sitting on the last skeleton, vase in hand as she kept hitting the poor thing in the head. Serana was about to help, but she saw that the wolf had disarmed it and that its arms had been removed. Khara smashed the vase one last time down unto the cracked skull, but the skeleton still had some moves in it. The wolf then grabbed its head and with all her strength, she pulled the skull off its body. She rose from the ground, skull still in hand and looked at the two glowing eyes looking back at her. "By the love of Talos, it's still alive!" She has had enough and spotted another vase. She walked over to it and threw the skull into it. As she walked back to Serana she could hear it hissed from its new home.

Serana only grinned as her eyes fell to the middle of the table, there was a scroll. "That might come in handy." She said and gestured to the scroll.

Khara walked over to it. "Oh yes indeed, a summon dremora scroll nonetheless."

Serana rose an eyebrow. "Sure you're safe to keep it? Didn't that end badly last time." Serana asked amused as she remembered the story the wolf had shared back at Riften.

 _Oh, ha-ha._ "Very funny, that was a very long time ago, and I've learnt." Khara said as she tied the scroll to her belt.

"If you say so." Serana said as she walked past the wolf who only huffed at her, all in good humor.

They continued going from one room to the next, never meeting more than a handful of skeletons at most. And for the rooms of the tower? They were filled with cobwebs and ruined furniture. They had opened too many doors only to be met with blocked hallways. They were in a different room this time, it was bigger than most of the other rooms they had entered, but not the biggest. It was also filled with those stone statues. _What were they called again? Gargoyles, was it?_

"Isn't these like the ones we saw back in Dimhollow?" Khara asked.

"Yes, there are also a few of them in other parts of the castle. Mother had a thing for magical constructs." The wolf snorted. "It's not what you think, dirty wolf." Serana said as she slapped the wolf' arm.

"Alright, alright." Khara laughed out. She looked around the room and sighed after a little while. "I think this is another dead-end." She said as she could see no doors that would take them further.

"Can't be, we haven't seen any other doors for the past three rooms, let's have a look around for a moment, there must be something here we're not seeing."

"Right, like a lever or perhaps another chain." Khara said as she quickly walked over to one of the walls.

"Yeah, something like that, there have already been a few of them, might as well be another." Serana reasoned.

They looked and looked but found nothing. They must have searched the whole room, yet nothing stood out. Serana walked over to a bookshelf and moved some of the ruined tomes to see if there was anything behind them. "Can't you just use your clumsiness like you did on the moondial?" Serana asked as she searched the bookshelf.

Khara chuckled. "Things like that can't be forced, it happens when it happens and besides-" She pointed to Serana. "I'm not clumsy."

Serana raised an eyebrow at the wolf and kicked a book that laid on the floor towards the wolf. Sure enough Khara stumbled on it and fell back to a wall. As her arms reached out to grab something, anything, her hand found something and grabbed it. It was a wall mounted candle, and with the wolf's arm on it, it turned and revealed what they had been looking for.

Serana's eyes lit up as she jogged over to her wolf. "Not a word." Her wolf warned.

Serana just shook her head. "Gods, I love you." She said as she kissed a warm cheek before entering the new corridor. They walked up a fair set of narrow stairs before meeting yet again another door. Seeing to how this room was as hard to get to, both knew that something of value must be hidden within. The door opened and revealed a room like none other, this felt like it was _it._

Serana walked in first and her eyes fell to the floor, it looked strange for sure, if she had to guess, then she would say that it was where some sort of ritual was held perhaps? Once her eyes moved up from the strange circular thingy in the middle of the room, she could now see that this was without a doubt a laboratory of sorts. There were rare alchemical ingredients spread all around on tables, shelfs and even on the stone floor. It was clear that no one had been in here for centuries which only led Serana to believe that maybe, just maybe her mother had been the last to set foot into this place.

"There's a lot of books over here." The voice of Khara interrupted Serana's current thoughts. "Do you remember how the book looked like, color, any special symbols or writing?" The wolf asked as she looked around at the many books.

Serana walked over to some of the other shelfs and began searching herself. "It had a dark purple look to it, the symbol of Oblivion, the typical stuff." A hum told her that the wolf had listened.

After what had to be around an hour, it was Khara who was the first to find something of interest. She grabbed a journal and was about to open it, but if this was the journal of Serana's mother, Valerica, then the wolf thought that Serana should be the one to do it. She walked over to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Think this could be useful?" She said gently as she offered Serana the journal.

Serana opened her mouth but remained silent as she accepted it. Her eyes scanned the pages, drinking in every word that was written in the delicate handwriting that was Valerica's. She jumped some pages as she was dying to see what her mother's last words had been.

 _I must prepare for a potentially lengthy exile. More importantly I must enact my plans with Serana and get her to Dimhollow Crypt as soon as possible. He won't lay I hand on her, I won't allow it._

"What does it say?" Khara said in a low voice.

Serana snapped out of her reading and looked at Khara, who was looking at her. "Hold on, I think I saw a mention of The Soul Cairn in here." She got to the previous pages and there it was, _The Soul Cairn._ Her eyes widened when she read the notes, finally they had some luck. "I don't think we'll need that book." She said slowly.

"Does she mention it in there?" Khara gestured to the journal.

"Yeah…" Serana said with disbelief. She looked up into soft-glowing blue eyes and swallowed. "Including _how_ to get there."

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Vulthuryol** : Bo wav koraav fin dovah, lost hi? Wah koraav fin Sunvaar? **– Come to see the dragon, have you? To see the monster?**

 **Serana** : Nid, zu'u laan fin stin su. **– No, I wanted the free air.**

 **Vulthuryol:** Hi mindok dii tinvaak? **– You know my language?**

 **Serana:** Geh, nuz ni pogaas. **– Yes, but not much.**

 **Other words** : Kro. **– Mages.**

Ahnok. **– Hello.**

Key. **– Mount.**

Nid **. – No.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Some old emotions surfaced in this chapter for Serana, but luckily Khara was right there with her when it happened. The past can be a very painful thing indeed, and if you're not careful, it can consume you. The girls are covering a lot of ground rather fast in this as I didn't feel the need to go in depth about the areas they were in due to how most of you most likely have been there yourself or read about them earlier.

There isn't much action in this chapter as I wanted to build up something else entirely, but you shall have your fill of action soon, I'm sure.

It feels good to write again, it really does. This whole chapter was written in about 6 hours I'd say, so I'm glad I'm back into the flow of things. There really isn't anything else to be said for now, hopefully you will find the next chapter more interesting.

I'm always open to ideas, so if you have one why not send me a message and I'll have a look? As always thank you for reading, reviewing, following and whatnot, you're awesome

Have a great day guys and gals.

-Zep


	31. Chapter 31

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 31_

 _The Realm of Souls_

They had something to compare it to, they had been in a similar place not long ago, but even though there were similarities, there were also differences. The glow around had changed, the air weighted more heavily on them and there was an eerie feeling creeping about. In Apocrypha there were mountains of books, stacked in all wicked ways as the towers of knowledge seemed to go on forever, never reaching their limit. In here there was also towers, but instead of being made by leather and paper, these were held together by stone. Solid, ice-cold stone.

It was like an everlasting night of twilight, which would have made the scene before them truly magnificent, but the warm colors of the setting sun were that of a dark-purple, dark-grayish instead. And it was like it whispered to them, telling them that this was not their realm, that this was not a place for those who still had ties to the warm soul that is Tamriel. No, this was a place for those who had no more life in them, no more warmth, in their body, soul or heart. This was a place for mindless creatures, undead beasts and other unworldly horrors.

It was bizarre because there was lightning and there was thunder, every indication of a storm was on display right before them, yet there was no wind, _nothing_. It was like the calmest day and the loudest night had morphed together, becoming this outlandish hybrid of weather. It was both cold and warm, and it wasn't like the combination that felt like electricity, it was more like the feeling that often followed with sickness.

There were trees and even bushes, but their life had been taken long ago, replaced with the same stale energy that filled the air all around. The parts that had yet to be consumed by the fog were brimming with bones and gravestones of all shapes and sizes, and it went on for as long as their enhanced vision would allow them. Mindless souls wandered the lifeless wasteland around them, where they had come from or where they were going was a mystery, but one could tell by the way they moved that they had lost their consciousness long ago, as they were only shades of their former selves.

There was no way around, under or over it, this place was one colossal necropolis. The entire world of The Soul Cairn was a giant graveyard.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Serana asked carefully as she looked around, this place was a sight to behold. Serana had seen many things over the years, yet none came close to this, _this_ was so different from anything in existence.

"I can't say that I have…" Khara told her. "The sky reminds me a little of Sovngarde, but this feels different, it feels… _Wrong_." The wolf said as she slowly shook her head.

Their feet carried them down the floating staircase and with each step they got closer to what they needed. The plane looked like it went on forever, yet there was a path before them and something told them to simply follow it, to see where it would take them. And so they walked, eyes on the alert as neither thought that this would continue to be easy for long.

They knew that whoever were in here with them were fully aware of their presence, because every time they looked to a tower, a tree, the ruin of a building or a tombstone, they could just see something move out of their sight. Someone or something were stalking them, never getting too close, never getting too far away.

There was also one more thing that they could see, on one of the towers there were this shadow and it was huge. They never saw it move, but every time they looked to where it had previous been, the shadow had moved. Just like whatever was on the ground, this thing was also following them. And as the two women moved, the shadows on the ground became boulder, more daring as they came closer and closer with each passing step.

And just how bold were shown when they finally showed themselves. They were like skeletons, but their bones weren't white like most, no…These had been touched by a darkness never seen before by neither of them. It was fitting that such a twisted realm had such twisted creatures in it.

Serana eyed one of the skeletons that were walking at their speed, just a little distance away. And the skeleton was watching them as it moved. A gravestone came into view and blocked Serana's view of it, as she walked some steps further however, she spotted it once again, but this time it stood still and…Serana narrowed her eyes as she slowed her movement. _What is it doing?_

It was pointing something at them…No, it was pointing something at Khara. Serana's eyes widened as she darted for her wolf. She grabbed Khara just in the nick of time to save her from getting an arrow firmly placed in her body. "Where is it?" Khara said as she ducked down, ready to dodge anymore incoming arrows.

"To the right, next to the gravestone." Serana said quickly as they made their way over to a crumbled stone wall. Serana leaned against the wall and slowly rose to see if the skeleton was anywhere near by still. And she spotted it, it stood still with its bow lowered as its head moved to look upwards, at the sky. It let out a shriek that Serana was sure could even frightend the mightiest of warriors. From behind the other gravestones, towers and trees emerged more skeletons, as if they were summoned by their fellow undead. At the same time, all skeletons locked their eyes on Serana, making the woman release a small whimper. The undead then ran towards her, sprinting as fast as their legs would allow them. "There's more of them."

"How many?" The wolf asked, her breathing a little more rapid than before.

"Ten? Maybe twelve?" Serana said slightly worried.

"I have an idea." Khara said as she moved a little away from their cover, she closed her eyes and summoned a spell, Dragonhide, a spell that she was taught by Tolfdir himself once she had become quite skillful within the alteration school. It was the very best spell one could use when wanting to be able to take more hits, and since Serana had said there were many, Khara didn't even consider any other spell. With the magical effect on her, she summoned an old friend. _It's been a while, ready to show yourself?_ Khara whispered to her wolf aspect, who was already ready to show those skeletons who they were messing with. _Always,_ it howled back.

A familiar black mist came to view at her feet. "I will draw their attention, use your spells and if you run out-." Khara grabbed her crossbow and bolts and placed it next to the wall. "-See if you cant use that." She gestured to the weapon.

Serana nodded as her hands started to glow, she was ready. "I got your back."

Khara looked into orange eyes quickly before taking on her beast form. The wall seemed to become shorter as she rose from the ground. Her eyes locked onto the many foes that would soon be introduced to her claws and fangs. _Let's do this._

She howled at them as she jumped onto the wall, and with her eyes stuck on the closest skeleton, she darted off the wall and landed on all four. She was fast, so fast that the undead didn't have a chance to hit her as long as she were on the move. Blue-glowing orbs spotted bows and swords, yet no armor. A decent strike with her claw should do nicely, and as she was coming closer to her first foe, she was about to find out just how strong those bones were. She jumped into the air and rose one claw higher than the other, with lighting speed it struck down onto the skeleton and surely enough, it shattered into pieces. With that knowledge, Khara and Serana both knew that the wolf just had to be swift with her movements to stay out of harm's way.

And as the wolf moved around the undead, Serana made sure to aim her deadly spells at those few her wolf had missed. Fire was her choice of the day, so fire she used. Fireball after fireball flew through the air. As she moved to avoid an arrow, Serana was sure that she could shoot faster than any bow or crossbow. Her eyes fell down to the crossbow her wolf had left her, she blew some hair out of the way, she wouldn't need the aid of the ranged weapon because at the moment, she was a ranged weapon, and she was lethal. Thanks to the ring Khara had gifted her all that time ago, way back to when Serana had traveled to Whiterun, her spells were even more dangerous than normal.

Khara spotted a small cluster of perhaps five, six skeletons. She gave a special howl that made Serana look at her in an instant. Serana spotted the small horde of undead and nodded. With all the remaining skeletons focusing on the wolf, Serana jumped the wall and ran up to her wolf. With a tombstone keeping her hidden from view she summoned a fire rune like none other. When the spell was fully charged she showed herself to the enemy and placed the magical rune onto the ground between her wolf, herself and the undead. They roared at them before charging, making it so they came in contact with Serana's little gift. The wolf jumped over to Serana to shield the woman from the small fragments of bone that were lit by the fire.

With her eyes closed she was prepared to feel some of the heat from the spell she created, but as always, her wolf was her guardian. Serana opened her eyes and was met with white fur. She looked up only to meet two brightly-glowing blue eyes looking back down at her.

 _I will stay in this form a little while longer,_ Khara told her in her mind and Serana agreed with a nod. This place was open and with Khara being in her current form, it was much easier to reach the enemy and thus making the potential amount of flying arrows decrease drastically.

They quickly made their way back to the wall and Serana grabbed Khara's crossbow and bolts before they continued down the path they were on before.

Some time passed, and they were yet to meet any more residents of The Soul Cairn, it was like they had vanished. As they walked past a tower that was close to the road, they could start to see a huge building on top of a little hill which seemed to be where the path would take them. Something else also came in to view as they walked past that tower, something else that held some size to it. It was a dragon.

Khara stopped and stretch out her hand, making Serana stop too. The two women and the dragon held each other's eyes for a few passing moments. It seemed like this dragon, even though it looked like it too was undead, had no desire to fight them. It looked like its flesh was about to fall off its bones, yet this creature did not hold the same horrifying look as the skeletons did, this dragon was green, like the very color of decay itself.

With caution they walked closer to it, slowly placing one foot before the other, weapons drawn and ready for use if need be. The dragon on the other hand kept standing where it stood, its head following their every move.

"I saw how you dealt with my aar, my minions, impressive." The dragon spoke as it looked at them.

Khara felt odd about this, why didn't this dragon attack them, or why hadn't it done so yet? "You seem glad that we killed your followers, aren't you angry that we slayed so many?" She asked the undead creature before them.

It hummed. "Nid, they are mindless creatures, they fall only to be risen again." He said calmly in his deep voice.

Khara held her silence for a moment, unsure of what he wanted out of this conversation. "What is it you want from us, why are we talking?"

He looked directly at her. "When you entered this realm I could feel it. I was curious at first, and after seeing you in grah, in battle I was impressed and thus I find you worthy of speaking to." The dragon lowered its head and moved a little to the left, which made the women move to the right, slowly they moved in a circle, not letting the other come too close. The dragon stopped however and spoke once more. "It have been centuries if not eons since I last traded words with others. Boredom is my curse, along other things and so I am willing to offer to you my knowledge of this world." The dragon offered them.

Serana's attention got grabbed over those words. "Your knowledge?" _Perhaps he knows of the gems?_

He nodded slowly. "Geh, I assume you are here for a reason, are you not? Something that you are looking for perhaps?"

The women shared a look before both agreeing to continuing this conversation with the dragon. "We are looking for something, a soul gem, a special one."

"Ah yes, soul gems. An item that The Soul Cairn is famous or infamous for, depends on who you ask." He said before letting out a deep chuckle.

"You know of them?" Serana asked.

He turned his head to look at the vampire. "I do indeed, I even know a location of a few." He turned his body around and faced the building on top of the hill. "In there you will find what you are looking for, but you cannot simply walk through its doors and be done with it."

Khara looked to where he meant. "And why not?" She asked as she couldn't see anything off the normal, or at least off The Soul Cairn-kind of normal.

He lowered his head as he looked at them. "There lays a magical barrier around it, none may pass through it."

"Then how do we get in?" The wolf asked.

"It draws its powers from three different locations, three different towers. At their bases the souls of the undead feeds the barriers energy. If you can defeat their guardians, The Keepers, then you will be given access to the ruin which houses the items that you seek." He informed them.

"Alright, who are these Keepers?" Khara asked him.

"They are the guardians of this region of the realm, undead like all other things in here, but more powerful than many combined."

"And you will help us defeat them?" Serana asked, is sure would be useful to have a dragon on their side, and not only just that, but a dragon that knew the realm well.

He shook his head. "I never said so, but even if I did, I could not offer any aid in combat. I belong to this place and its masters, to fight The Keepers would make me break my promise to them."

"We understand, you gave your word." He might be dead, but he was still a dragon. And a promise is a promise, simple as that.

He seemed pleased to hear the wolf's words and the look of understanding in both blue and orange-glowing eyes. "Good, but even though I cannot fight besides you, I can show you the path to The Keepers." He stretched out his ragged wings. "I would offer you transport, but my body is not what it used to be, I am afraid that you would simply fall through me." He said amused as he gestures to his rotting flesh.

Khara smiled for a moment, it was rare to find a dragon that was familiar with humor, it was refreshing. "It's fine, just show us where to go and we'll get there."

"Very well, look to where I fly then." He said before leaving the two on the ground by themselves. They saw where he was heading, he was directly aimed for a tower.

"He could be leading us to a trap." Serana said once she was sure the dragon could not hear them.

Khara looked at her and nodded. "He could, but if he wanted us dead, why not do so himself? He is a dragon, its in their nature to prove themselves, to do things themselves."

They began to walk towards the tower. "Maybe, but let's just keep an eye on him, you never know."

"I agree, you can never know for sure." Khara then looked at the tower again, it was quite far away. "I'll turn again so that we can get there faster." Khara then began to summon her wolf.

"Are you my personal steed now?" Serana asked amused as she took a few steps back, allowing Khara some space for her transformation.

"Oh, you can mount me anytime, in both forms." Khara said with a wolfish grin and a charming wink, it caused Serana to laugh.

"I really do wonder if you keep a list of these _clever_ words of yours."

Khara chuckled as the dark mist came into view. "Well if I do, then it is for me to know and for you to find out." Khara said as she took on her more primal form.

Serana looked at her with a clever look. "Challenge accepted, wolf." She said as she mounted the wolf. With her hands firmly gripping the soft fur, Khara began running towards the flying shadow in the air.

* * *

The dragon landed before them and spoke. "You keep impressing, you have already dealt with one of The Keepers, unfortunately this one is now stronger because now only two remain." He informed them.

"Even stronger? Couldn't you have said so earlier?" Khara panted out, the last fight hadn't exactly been easy.

He shook his head at her. "And have possibly decreased your confidence? Nid, it seemed like the best choice then and I still stand by it. If you have fear within your heart and your enemies sees it, then they will use it."

Khara simply accepted his reasoning. "Fine. So after this one, the last remaining one of The Keepers will be even stronger?"

"Correct, but I have a feeling that you will be the victorious one of that battle too, just like this one." And with that he vanished into the sky once more.

"He is a mysterious one, I tell you." Serana commented as they walked over to the second Keeper.

"He sure is, but his intentions seems honest."

"They do." They then spotted The Keeper. Serana turned to look at her wolf. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Khara said with a quick smile before grabbing her Ebony Blade. As they walked up to their target, The Keeper stood up from its throne. It grabbed its sword and shield and banged his weapon against his shield as it growled at them. _Oh, you're on!_

Khara took lead and darted towards the Keeper, her real focus was to turn the undead around, allowing Serana to unleash her magica at it without it being able to block her spells. It's seemed like an easy task, but just like the dragon had said, this one would be more powerful than the last, and he was right.

The Keeper's head was just a ball of black energy, so Khara really couldn't tell if the thing had the ability to see all around itself, but by the way it expertly moved out of both women's attacks and spells, she made the conclusion that it was indeed the case. _Damn it._

"This isn't working!" Khara shouted as she rolled away from the Keeper's sword. "I can't find a dammed opening." She grunted as she got on her feet, where ever her Blade went, the blasted shield were already there, ready to block her attacks.

"It must have a weakness, something we're not seeing." Serana said back as she moved out of the way, keeping a few feet between her and the undead creature.

In desperation, Khara looked over to a stone pillar, and the idea she got from it might just work. "Mind being a decoy for a moment?" She asked Serana.

"Sure, my spells aren't doing anything anyways." Serana looked past the Keeper and locked eyes with her wolf. "Where do you want me?"

"Well, you're actually kind of perfect were you are right now." Khara said as she sprinted around the Keeper and behind the pillar that was now behind Serana. "Move when I say so!" She shouted.

In an attempt to make herself look like an easy target, Serana lowered her arms and let her guard down, at least to the naked eye. She slowly walked backwards as the Keeper got closer.

It was right there, the intruder, the disturber, the thing it needed to slay for its masters. And it looked so small, so fragile. It didn't cast those annoying spells no more as it just stood there, like if it had already accepted its fate; to be a soul for the Masters.

The Keeper creeped closer as its focus was locked onto the woman before it. And as it got closer, just before it was about to strike, a sound could be heard, a sound of someone inhaling air? The Keeper stopped abruptly before looking around, but there was no one there, when it looked back at the woman it heard another sound, no…A shout.

"FUS-" _Now, Serana!_ Khara yelled in her mind, knowing that the woman would be able to hear it. "-RO DAH!" Khara shouted will all her might against the pillar, making it fall towards the Keeper.

It dropped its sword and shield and tried to stop the pillar from crushing it, but even though it was strong, it was no match against the heavy weight that followed with the pillar, it got crushed like a bug.

Khara moved over to see the result of her quick thinking. She looked around for Serana, but couldn't see the woman, she only heard some words. "Done and done." Khara smiled over that as Serana walked up to stand next to her. "Good thinking."

"Why thank you." Khara said as she bowed for her woman. Their little act were interrupted however when they could hear the roar of the dragon, letting them know that there was only one Keeper left and that it was over where he was flying. "That's close, we can easily walk it."

"That last Keeper gave us more of a fight than this one."

"Yeah, well we didn't really give this one the chance to prove its worth really."

"True…" Khara then looked at Serana. "We're just too effective."

They stopped at the base of what looked to be a floating tower. Underneath it was something that looked like a well, but where there normally were water there was something else. It had a purple color mixed with darkness, it didn't look safe. It looked like it served as a portal for the floating structure above them.

"So…Ladies first?" Serana asked with a skeptical tone to her voice as she looked at her wolf.

Khara made a sound, as if she was considering it. "Well, I am curious about it." Khara mumbled as she gently kicked the well with a foot. With her foot being as close as it was, she felt a familiar magical essence that she had been introduced to long ago at the College, and she knew what this was. Khara looked at Serana with a clever look before jumping into the well, letting it swallow her whole.

Serana took a step forward as she waited for something to happen, however she didn't know what she expected really. "I still got all of my arms and legs, it's safe!" She heard Khara yell, and it was enough to make Serana copied the wolf's actions. It felt like she had jumped into water, without the whole getting drenched part of course.

Serana walked over to her wolf who was already ready to strike the nearby Keeper. They made their way up some stairs before spotting the last thing that stood between them and the soul gems.

Just like the others, this Keeper was also sitting on a throne of its own, overlooking its master's realm as it had quite the view for itself. But unlike the others this one was a little different, it was bigger and so probably stronger. Khara was sure that it was so strong that it could easily break all of her bones with one single blow, that it could rip of pieces of stone from the tower and throw it at her. And Serana saw those auras surrounding it, this one wasn't just a master of physical combat, but also a champion of the magical arts. This would be the strongest foe yet, and he would give them a fight to remember. With an armor made of bones, infused with magical effects and what not, this Keeper would bring them pain, agony, fear-.

As it stood up from its throne it stepped on a skull, lost its balance and fell off the ledge. Khara and Serana looked at each other before walking over to the ledge, sure enough there was the Keeper, dead on the ground below them. And as they looked a thundering sound could be heard above them, naturally their eyes looked up and when they did they spotted lightening. Their eyes followed the lights and landed on the building on top of the hill, the place that they needed to get to.

"I think that's it." Serana said as she walked closer to the ruin on the hill, as far as the tower would allow her.

"Let's go find out." They got down from the tower and was met with the dragon once more. It poked the dead keeper with its wing.

"I knew you would be victorious, congratulations on your fight." He told them. "You can now enter the ruins and claim your price."

"Thank you for your help…" Khara said, dragging out the last words as her desire to know the dragons name had only increased over the short time she had known him.

"I am Durnehviir." He said with a small chuckle. "Your actions have been pleasing, but this is where I leave you. I can hear my master's call, I am needed elsewhere." He moved his wings and lost contact with the ground. "Zu'u los krosis." He said before he flew away, high into the skies so that they could no longer see him.

Those last words however made Khara frown. " _Zu'u los krosis,_ isn't that _I am sorry_ , in Dovahzul?" Serana asked her wolf.

Khara nodded slowly. "It is…" She said lowly. "Let's just get those gems and get out of here." She said as she turned towards their destination.

With determination, they made their way over to the ruin quickly. When they had gotten to the bottom of the hill, an arrow landed somewhat close to them. Both women looked at the owner of the arrow and spotted him only mere seconds later.

"You got my crossbow?" Khara asked as she kept her eyes on the undead. Without a verbal answer she was handed the crossbow along with its bolts. She reloaded it, aimed at the fool and shot, but it was so far away, and it had plenty of time to see the bolt, so the wolf wasn't really all that surprised when the skeleton easily dodged it. A few more shots later and the situation still hadn't changed, _this is useless._

The wolf summoned a Detect Dead spell and casted it, she looked around and could see three mists, The Boneman, Serana and something else on top of the hill. Due to the distance between them and the Boneman, Khara knew how to be most effective. "There is another undead on top of the hill, most likely another skeleton."

"Got it. I'll deal with it, you take that one." Serana pointed to the skeleton that was still trying to shoot at them.

Khara turned to look at Serana. "You sure?"

Serana summoned two Frost Atronachs and smirked at her wolf. "Oh, I'm positive."

Khara smiled as she once more summoned her wolf aspect to come forth. "I'll be with you in a second." Was the last thing she said before sprinting towards her foe.

With two guardians of her own and the knowledge of the enemy on top of this hill, Serana was more than prepared, or so she thought. Because when she came to the top and stood before the entrance to the ruin, she was met with something else. There was no Boneman, no Keeper or any other creation of The Soul Cairn. It was something else entirely, _someone else._ The person had their back towards her, but Serana could see that it was a woman. And by the guess of her attire, Serana would also guess that it was a vampire. _Hold on…_ Her grip on her sword weakened as her feet just managed to keep moving her towards who she was looking at. Without thinking about it she lazily waved her Frost Atronachs to give her some space, and so they stood guard, making sure no hostiles came up behind her. A million questions is what Serana was met with in that moment, because this couldn't just be a stranger, could it?

The other woman moved her head a little before turning around to see who or what it was that was creeping up on her, but when her eyes met the similar orange-glowing eyes of Serana, she too was dazed.

Serana couldn't hold on to her sword no more, it was becoming too heavy for her. And her spells were too much for her mind to concentrate on as it faded from her hand. With her mouth slightly open, eyes wide, arms hanging on her sides, she found no words, no sounds, nothing to express herself of how she felt in that moment. Everything that _was_ time stopped its existence in that very moment, making the seconds feel like lifetimes. For what else could she feel? What else could she do when she was looking back at someone she used to know, someone she used to be so close to.

She wasn't hearing all that well, but that didn't make her deaf to when her own name rolled off of the woman's tongue. She blinked before finding just enough strength to speak, but when she did, her words were weak and filled with confusion. " _Mother_?"

* * *

Khara was coming closer to her target now, she had used the local tombstones, trees and such to evade its arrows, yet she didn't manage to avoid them all. One arrow was currently in her shoulder, and due to the odd angle, the wolf couldn't rip it out without causing an even bigger wound. The wound didn't help the skeleton though, because instead of slowing the white beast currently charging towards it, the arrow only caused an even bigger wave of adrenalin to pulse through the wolf.

With pain within her, she made quick work of the Boneman. And with that done she made her way back to Serana who should have dealt with the other undead by now. Khara knew that Serana would be able to remove the thing currently residing in her back. She made her way up the hill and got up and two legs as she was looking for her most treasured person, and she spotted her. The wolf was confused though, because why was Serana standing so still, and with no weapon nor spell in hand? Was someone pointing something at her? A bow? A spell?

Khara darted over to Serana and saw another person, the one that was responsible to her lover's current state. The woman looked at her and with wide eyes she shouted. "Serana, behind you!"

Khara stopped in her tracks and turned her head to look behind them. _She talking about us?_ Her wolf aspect wondered.

Serana turned to look at Khara, and with a relieved look she turned back to the woman. "She's with me, Mother." She said, yet her voice was off.

 _Mother?_ Khara looked back at the woman, and she had to agree that to some degree, she did share some similarities to Serana. _But…She was dead, wasn't she? Harkon killed her, right?_ Uncertain of what to do, her wound came back into her mind and she got back down on all four. She moved over to Serana and released a small sound, making Serana see the arrow. Serana helped Khara with her wound, but her eyes darted back and forth from the bloodied white shoulder and to her mother.

Valerica shook her head. "Where is your father? Is he here too?" She asked as she didn't know what to do with herself. "I should have killed him when I had the chance." She hissed, but she missed the way it made her daughter flinch.

"No, listen to me, Father doesn't-." She wasn't allowed to speak as Valerica interrupted her.

"No, you don't understand, you can't be here, if you're here then Harkon can't be far behind. Serana, if he gets to you, to any of us then all will-."

It was too much too soon, it just slipped out. "He's dead!" She cried out. "He is _gone_!" Her breathing was ragged. She felt two pair of eyes on her, one filled with confusion and the other filled with sympathy. She turned her head a little, eyes looking down, letting Khara know that she was fine.

And the wolf couldn't do much else but give her the smallest of nods, because she really didn't know how to act at the moment, clearly Valerica didn't know who she was or who she was to her daughter. And the wolf didn't want to burden Serana with any more explanations then needed for now, so she kept her silence as well as her distance. As her heartbeat calmed down, her wolf aspect let her turn back to her normal self again.

"How…Who did it? Was it Orthjolf? Or was it Vingalmo? Did they finally find a way around their blood oath?" Valerica asked, her voice lower than before as she kept looking over at the stranger, the wolf.

Serana inhaled before speaking. "We did." She gestured to herself and Khara. She looked over at Khara and this time, held her wolf's eyes. "He knew how to complete the prophecy, so we stopped it, stopped _him_." She swallowed before daring to look back at her mother. She felt heavy yet light, glad and angry, happy and sad. The only other person who could make her feel so many emotions as once stood right beside her, yet she had to admit that the feelings her wolf offered were more pleasant than these ones. What could she do though? Before her stood her mother, a woman who had taught Serana all that she know about _so_ many things. The woman who gave her life, food, a roof over her head and for a time, even love. A woman who held so much meaning to her was standing but a few feet away from her, a woman she thought was dead, gone, removed from her live forever. She didn't say what she felt because it wasn't needed, it showed by the look on her face, it was visible in her eyes, in her voice.

"Then why are you here?" She was yet again made aware of the wolf. "And why have you brought a stranger?"

Her eyes flew off Khara in the second she heard it. She locked eyes with her mother and all the emotions in her eyes left, all but one. "She is not a stranger-."

"No? Did your father go back to having such _beasts_ as pets again? Was this a gift from him?" Valerica said with anger as she walked a little closer. Why would her daughter bring this beast here?

 _That's it._ "No, you don't know a damn thing here-." Serana challenged her mother with her eyes. "This _stranger_ is the one who got me out of that _horrible_ place you put me in, that…That _prison_!"

Valerica frowned at her daughter, she had never heard Serana talk to her in that tone before. "That _prison,_ so you call it, kept you safe for centuries."

"For what purpose? To have my life reside around a few stone walls? To never see the light again, to see _anything_ again?"

"Dimhollow kept you alive, I did that so that _you_ could live."

"So that I could live?" Serana released a small huff of a laugh, but it was filled with frustration. "Stuck in a tomb so deep beneath the earth, unknown to everything and everyone in the world outside, do you call that living, Mother? Because I don't, all you did was give me time, but nothing to spend it on, to spend it with." Those words shook something within Valerica as her eyes changed as it dawned upon her, had she really done that to her own flesh and blood? Had her own selfishness made her blind to what her daughter was telling her?

Her mother sighed. "He would have killed you."

"He would." Serana said with a weak, trembling voice as she nodded. "But he didn't. And all that is because of her-" Serana looked at Khara with tears in her eyes, then back at her mother. "So don't you dare call her a stranger, because she let me finally breathe after you had denied me that for so long."

"Serana, I-I don't-"

"Save it, I don't want to hear it, nor do I have the time to. We didn't come down here just to explore, Mother. We need a soul gem from here, and you're in our way." Serana said as she walked towards her mother. Valerica didn't move though and as her daughter stopped right before her, she spoke.

"Then let me at least help you." Their eyes locked once more, and more words were traded between them. Serana wasn't a fool though, far from it. She only gave one single nod before walking past her mother and towards the entrance to the ruin where the gems were being held. She couldn't allow her feelings to get the best of her, not now. They needed to get the gem, get out of here and fix this whole business with the Star of Azura. They all walked into the ruin, even Serana's Frost Atronachs joined them as their need to defend their master was an unbreakable bond.

It looked like, no…It _was_ a bloody arena, a fighting pit. It was a place where people fought either each other or something, so the question was who were they about to fight?

Valerica signaled them to wait in the middle as she quickly moved to grab the gems, with having lived for such a long time with in the realm, she had collected many of them, more than enough for whatever her daughter and her companion could ever need. With the items on her belt, she returned. And they were about to leave, they really were, but it's never that easy, is it?

A form was created on top of a small tower, and when it was finally done, all three of them knew who it was. "Durnehviir?" Khara asked.

He looked down at them. "When I was young I came to The Ideal Masters in search of knowledge, and I found it. All I had to do was simple, stay in the Masters service for as long as the woman named Valerica still walked, so I accepted." He growled at his stupidity. "Little did I know that this woman was carrying the blessings of Molag Bal, untouched by the effect of the passing years. For countless years I have been imprisoned here, but when you came, so did my opportunity." He moved one wing a little, making a strange light shut the doors behind them. "And I truly am sorry, but I will stay imprisoned no longer! DIIL QOTH ZAAM!" He shouted, and Khara had never before heard those words of power. _This must have been what The Ideal Masters granted him._

The energy created by his shout seeped into the ground. The earth beneath shook and opened, allowing the undead to climb out of the cracks. And they howled, and they roared as they answered the summon of their master.

It was in their nature, they did it without even knowing so. Khara and Serana readied themselves, making Valerica look at them with wide eyes. "Have you lost your mind? We cannot fight them!" She shouted as she pointed to the horde of the undead.

"We have no choice, his magic is blocking the door." It was the wolf's first words to the woman, and there was no eye contact, the wolf hadn't even turned to look in Valerica's direction as she spoke. But those first words were strong. No doubt, fear or anything else close to cowardice, were present in her voice. "We have to beat him."

"You think you can kill a dragon? Serana, your friend have lost her mind. We cannot kill a dragon, this is insanity!" Khara threw the scroll they found in the Volkihar tower ruins to Serana as she herself ran closer to the enemy.

"Then I guess we're insane, because here they come!" Serana yelled as she quickly commanded her Frost Atronachs to follow the wolf. She used the scroll and summoned the dremora, it would be most useful especially seeing to how many they would need to slay in order to get to Durnehviir.

The dremora roared as it ran up to stand next to Khara, seeing to how the wolf was standing on the higher ground, an obvious advantage. But when it came to stand beside her, he realized that the woman next to her looked awfully familiar. Realization dawn upon him and he completely forgot about the charging skeletons. "You!" It roared at the wolf.

Khara turned her head to look at him, he did look familiar to her too, perhaps _too_ familiar. And just like that she remembered.

"You were the one who tied me to that bed, who humiliated me!" He walked even closer and grabbed her chest piece. With clenched teeth he hissed at her. "When I was banished back to Oblivion, my brethren found it humorous, I however did not."

Khara's eyes looked to her side, to the ever-closing enemy, then back at the dremora. "You're angry, I can see that, and it's good." She reached out and turned his head with a hand. The dremora frowned before spotting all of those skeletons. "Use it on them." She told him.

He huffed as he released her from his hold and with strong arms he readied himself. "This better be a good battle, mortal, or I shall make you taste my steel." He growled.

They came in waves, and with the first one being the smallest, Valerica took full advantage of it. Her knowledge of the undead, of necromancy had increased drastically since her arrival to this place. Turning some of them to fight for her, for them, shouldn't be too challenging for her.

She summoned her magica and called upon her powers as she managed to capture the minds of the Bonemen. _Easy._ The Bonemen shook as a new voice entered their minds, a female one and it told them exactly what to do. With more soldiers on their side now, things finally were starting to look up from them, perhaps defeating Durnehviir was possible after all.

The turned undead joined Khara, the two Frost Atronachs and the dremora, forming a thin line of defense. The two Volkihar vampires came up to them as well, standing behind as they charged up their spells. The horde was upon them, and as they charged the small ground, their weapons clashed upon impact, roars and shouts came from both sides.

It was in this moment, when the wolf swung her weapon countless times, that she really couldn't praise Mephala enough for creating such a masterpiece of a weapon. The way the energy of her foes entered her through the Blade made each strike more forceful and deadlier than the last. It was like and endless wave of adrenaline pumped through her veins, pushing her to continue testing her strength. And as the wolf pushed to the side, the two mages behind made it rain fire.

Valerica had to say that she was impressed with her daughter's performance, because the younger vampire were casting more energized spells than she was, at least the destruction spells. The little army she had so neatly stolen from Durnehviir were helping, but still some of the enemy managed to get through their little line. And with their masters most wanted person standing right before them, they fought like mindless savages. Every trick were used, every move in order to get just a little closer to the oldest of the vampires.

Serana didn't think of what she did, she just did it. She moved closer to her mother, because even though she was still furious with her, she was still her mother and there was no way in Oblivion that she was losing her again, she wouldn't allow it, there were too many unanswered questions. Her eyes only darted between three things; her mother, her wolf and the damned dragon.

As Khara moved further from her group, she was beginning to see that the enemy were all around, both close and far from her, and her Blade could only do so much. Every now and then she would shoot a bolt at Durnehviir, in an attempt to make the dragon fly, and after her fifth attempt, he did. _I cannot recall the last time you have summoned me so much!_ Her wolf howled as she called upon it one last time. She inhaled and shouted before her wolf would take over. With the undead dragon in her sight, she released her power. "JOOR ZAH FRUL!" Dragonrend was her choice. She admitted that she didn't like the shout, because she knew how it felt like for her fellow brothers, but Durnehviir was the enemy, and she saw no other option.

As he fell from the skies above, Khara transformed again. Blue eyes were locked on the target, everything was a blur, unimportant. She were on all four when she ran up an angled pillar before jumping onto the rotting dovah's back.

Earlier when Durnehviir had joked about them not being able to ride him, he wasn't kidding, for when Khara landed on him, one of her back legs punctures his weak and decaying scales. She quickly got it out of his body however, and moved closer to his neck, to his head. And with the dragon having been denied his right of the skies, he roared as he slammed his body into the wall in hope that he would crush the cursed wolf currently tearing at the little flesh he had left.

As the dragon were struggling with his new passenger, Valerica watched in amazement, because she hadn't missed the way the wolf had shouted before taking on the beast form for the second time before the woman in one single day. "Dragonborn?" She asked her daughter as she impaled her closest challenger.

Serana ducked down to avoid losing her head before creating so much heat that the bones of the skeleton crumbled before her. "Yeah." She grunted as she continued to find new foes wherever she looked, they were surrounded. There was simply too many of them, Serana didn't even see it coming. One of the Bonemen came out of nowhere and jumped her, she disarmed it with her hands quickly, but it did the same back. Its hand grabbed hers as she tried to plunge her dagger into its skull. With the Boneman touching her skin, it was painful ,like it was stealing her energy. And with neither of them having any weapons and with the skeleton having no knowledge of magic, it did the only thing it could, it bit her hand and it probably would have taken a good chunk of her hand, maybe even taken her entire little finger if it hadn't been for the wolf.

Because as Serana was being attacked, the wolf had seen it and grabbed one of Durnehviir's horns to aim him at the skeleton that was assaulting Serana. As Durnehviir ran past, roaring as he did so, Khara had hit the Boneman's head and dislocated it with a swift move of her claw. And with Serana somewhat safe again, the wolf was ready to finish this, to finish _him_.

With her arms holding the horn still, Khara's legs found the ground and with all her strength she forced the dragon to come to a stop. She grabbed the other horn and pulled it to the side, and when his head was angled, she continued to rotate it, she wanted to break his neck. Durnehviir's legs failed to keep him standing as he tried to follow the movement of his head with his entire body, but it was proving difficult. "Nid, zu'u nis funt!" He said, but even his voice were breaking. He slammed his wings into the earth in a desperate attempt to get loose from the wolf's grip.

Her mouth were open as she was almost sure that she couldn't do it, but with one final twist, she did it, she broke him. She released the head as she took a few steps back, breathing heavily as she did so. She quickly looked over to Serana and Valerica before running over to them. As she moved across the battlefield the Bonemen turned to ash as they fell to the ground.

Serana quickly inspected her hand, the bitemark was still visible and held some dark color to it, but she dismissed it as her mother spoke, surely it would heal soon. "We need to get out of here, now. Durnehviir will come back soon."

Khara joined them and got down on all four as she panted. She only nodded as she joined them in moving towards the door that were no longer being guarded by the dragon's magic.

Serana felt the wolf's eyes on her, on her hand. She looked at Khara and offered the wolf a small smile. "I'm fine." She told her, but it was far from the truth. Because the truth was that her hand were causing her great pain, she had never felt such coldness before, but they had to get out of here. She kept it to herself for now, she had to.

As they ran out the doors of the arena and made their way down the hill, a thundering sound could be heard. "No one escapes The Soul Cairn!" Durnehviir had returned, and with anger and hatred getting the better of him, he was even more deadlier than before. This was not over yet.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Durnehviir:** Zu'u los krosis. **– I am sorry.**

Nid, zu'u nis funt **– No, I cannot fail!**

 **Other words:** Aar. – **Minions.**

Geh. **– Yes.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Oh, I though that Valerica was dead….Huh, she had some explaining to do, doesn't she? I don't know how to feel about this chapter to be honest, I liked some parts and disliked some. Anyhow, this should be interesting I think, now that were finally getting somewhere with this whole Azura's Star problem, I wonder what the girls are going to face next. I do have a couple of ideas, and I think you all will like one of them very much, but it would be too soon to introduce that into the story.

Now, Durnehviir isn't all that bad, not in my eyes. I wanted him to have a bigger role however, because in the game when you get down to The Soul Cairn, Valerica is the one you meet first. But I think that this way also worked because Durnehviir does want to return, to be freed from the Ideal Master's chains, so why not make him just a little more desperate to get it, right? I might not make him an ally for now, but maybe he will return in the future.

For the next chapter, I don't think too many of you will like it, but I feel like it's necessary and it will give me the chance to explain a few things that needs clarification. I am also sorry for posting this chapter so many days since the last, but I've simply been busy with work. When I write I really do need to have at least three hours to just sit down with the story, to not be interrupted. Any less time and I don't really have a chance to ''get into it'' you know? I think I should be able to write a lot today and tomorrow (Sunday) and I will try to get another chapter out before the week starts, but if I don't, then be prepared to maybe wait till the next weekend for another chapter.

I'm also hungover as sh*t so if there is a lot of spelling mistakes then sorry!

That's all I have to say for now, thank you for reading, and thank you for the reviews! Have a good day!

-Zep


	32. Chapter 32

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 32_

 _The Man with the Plan_

Durnehviir stood on top of his tower, sending all of his servants after the three women. He roared and shouted as the woman who would give him his freedom was getting further away from his claws. Due to his fall in the battle, his body hadn't fully recovered yet, he couldn't simply fly and grab Valerica, even though he wanted to. And with his freedom currently fleeing his masters' realm, his domain, he was getting more desperate. Every single soul in The Soul Cairn were summoned, every last one. And as the women ran for their lives, they could see the undead following them. They couldn't see how many there were, the only thing that they saw were darkness, filled with endless amount of glowing eyes. The very ground trembled as the hordes of the undead charged towards them, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. The way their voices combined created a completely new sound only forced the women to run that much faster.

They could see the portal, the only problem was that it was so far away, and their path was shrinking by the minute as the undead came from all the corners of the realm. With their hearts beating almost as fast as their legs were moving, tiredness and fatigue entered their muscles. The mother and daughter casted as much frost magic as they could muster while the wolf mauled down any Bonemen that got too close. The Frost Atronachs had been overrun long ago and were most likely shattered into a thousand pieces somewhere under the feet of the skeletons. And for the dremora, well…Khara was sure that she could still hear him shout somewhere amongst the undead, bastard was hard to kill, she'll give him that.

As they continued to get ever so closer to their destination, the wolf would run past them, behind and even over at times as she tried to keep the two women safe.

"Do not let them escape!" Durnehviir roared as they were at the bottom of the steps. Some of the closest Bonemen did something to themselves, their souls left their bones and what was left was orbs of pure energy, they darted up into the portal.

Valerica followed the orbs with her gaze and saw that upon impact, the portal weakened. They were trying to close it. With her remaining magica she focused on the portal as she slowly made her way up the steps. Serana was in front while Khara was holding the bottom of the stairs. "Go, go now! I cannot hold it for long!" Valerica shouted at them.

Serana turned and looked at her mother, the wolf and the undead. She saw what Valerica was doing, but by the speed of her feet, she wouldn't make it through, and it looked like the older woman knew. Serana wasn't having it though, just before walking past the portal she found her wolf's eyes, she then looked back at her mother. "Apologies, Mother." She walked through the portal, leaving Valerica with a confused look.

Unknown to the woman however was that Khara was right behind her, back in her human form. And she wasn't looking forward to this, she really wasn't. The woman would most likely dislike her idea, but it was rather that or death. Khara ran up to Valerica and shouted. "WULD NAH KEST!" She grabbed the older woman as she flew past and into the portal. With gracefulness they managed to land on their feet, a sound came from behind them and they saw the portal close just as a skeleton came in contact with it. Its arm was now in their realm as it landed on the ground right before Serana's feet. She bent down and grabbed it out of curiosity and as she inspected it she saw that the color of the bone could also be found somewhere else, somewhere on herself. She dropped the arm as she inspected her own hand now, the bite mark hadn't gotten any better. It was like something was moving under her skin, like her veins had darkened, and was now moving, just like snakes in the grass. _Am I hallucinating?_ "What's this?" She asked out loud, grabbing the attention to the other two. Her voice came out uneven and she was starting to sway a little.

Her mother got closer and looked at the hand. She grabbed it before dragging up her daughter's sleeve. She saw how the wound was infected and how it was spreading fast, her arm was already showing those dark veins too. She palmed Serana's cheek to look into her eyes, because she knew what this was, she knew what was happening. "Serana-." She tried to grab her attention, and to some degree it worked. "You may pass out soon."

"What? What's happening?" Khara asked as she too got closer.

"She's been bitten. The same magic, the same energy that were in those monstrosities has manifested itself on her, it's spreading through her veins." Valerica explained as she ripped off a piece of her cloak and tied it tightly around her daughter's upper arm. _This should buy us some time._

"I can't hear you." Serana mumbled before passing out. Khara's eyes widened as she grabbed her, and with some clever maneuvering she managed to carry her. She saw the look in Valerica's eyes and recognized it, because it was so similar to the look Serana had whenever she had a plan.

And Khara guessed that Valerica could see the look in her eyes too, because the woman only gave a nod before walking over to a door. The wolf followed whilst carrying Serana, and as they walked out they were met with the courtyard once more. They didn't have much time to appreciate the dead trees or flowers before they were inside again. They passed Garan on their way to Serana's bedchambers and by the look on his face told Khara that he had just seen a ghost, and in a way he kind of did.

They lowered Serana on the bed and Valerica was quick to act. "Garan, get my supplies from the lab, I'll need it all." She commanded, eyes not even looking at the shocked man in the doorway. When no response was given, Valerica turned to look at her fellow vampire. "It's me, I'm here and right now I need your help, I'll explain later." She said.

"O-of course, my Lady!" He quickly left them, probably to do as his Lady wished. Khara was so focused on doing as Valerica said that she couldn't tell how much time passed before Garan and a few other members came back into the room. Within mere moments the whole room looked to be an alchemy lab, it was truly impressive. Valerica and some other members moved around the bed as Khara simply stood there. This was alchemy after all, the wolf didn't know a damn thing about alchemy.

When Valerica had all the ingredients and tools that she needed, she dismissed the others, all except Khara. "You, wolf-." Khara looked at her and waited. "She'll need blood, can I have yours?"

She ignored the woman calling her _wolf_ , Khara was sure that Valerica meant no disrespect because she was yet to learn her name. "Yeah, how much?" Khara began removing her gauntlet.

Valerica grabbed some empty bottles and placed them on the table by Serana's bed. "As much as you are willing to give, she'll need it."

Khara moved over to the table and grabbed Nettlebane, with a swift move she cut her wrist and filled probably too many bottles than what was safe for the wolf. _You need to slow down,_ her dragon aspect warned. _She needs it_ , was Khara's explanation. _So do we, if we are drained then we are no use to her,_ the aspect reminded her.

Khara groaned as a dizziness entered her mind, carefully she used a healing potion and poured it on some cloth before wrapping it around her wrist. When she turned to look at the bed her eyes widened. Khara darted over to Valerica and grabbed the woman's wrist, stopping her from shopping Serana's hand off like a dammed butcher. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded.

The older woman looked at Khara with horrifying eyes, the wolf trembled a little. "Saving her life, her hand is infected if you can't see, it acts as a host for the infection."

The look Valerica was currently giving her made her aspects feel small, but she still managed to find her words. "I see that her _finger_ is the host of the infection, not her hand."

"It's only a matter of time before the whole hand will be completely dead." Valerica informed her, and she was right. They could both see just how fast it was spreading. It was clear that Valerica simply whished to play it safe and the wolf couldn't blame her, this was her daughter after all.

"But there's still ti-" She stopped mid-sentence when Serana began to shake violently. Valerica dropped her knife and moved to hold her daughter down.

"Damn it, cut off that damned finger then!" She yelled as her daughter was putting up quite the fight.

 _Wait, what?_ "What?" Khara blurted out as she looked at Valerica with wide eyes.

"She isn't just sick, she has dark magic in her and it's attacking her mind-." Valerica placed a hand on Serana's head and summoned her magica, trying to keep the darkness at bay. "Cut the finger off now or I will take the whole hand later, maybe it will stop whatever is happening to her." She grunted as she held onto Serana with great strength.

Khara looked at her for a moment, to see if what the woman had said was true. She slowly reached for the knife and grabbed Serana's hand. _Fuck, fuckfuckfuck, do I do this?_ She asked herself, and her aspects answered. _Cut it, her mother knows of this magic, goraan gein, trust in her._ Khara flinched as she moved her hand holding the knife. The sound it made was repulsive to the wolf's ears, the smell of the darkened blood was vile to her nose. She felt a feeling she had never really felt before creep up and down her spine. She watched as the infected flesh turned into ash and how a dark mist came out of it. She felt disgusted by herself, she had just cut off a finger for crying out loud. Khara had swore to herself that she would never hurt Serana and here she was cutting off bloody body parts of the woman.

But just as she did so, Serana calmed down and now laid still once more. It would seem that it worked, for now. Valerica grabbed the hand quickly and bandaged it. Already her entire arm looked better, there was still darkened veins, but they had faded a little in color and were less in numbers.

Valerica turned to the table where the blood-filled bottles were, and she was shocked, four bottles were completely full. She turned to look at Khara who was more pale than before, and the wolf's eyes were a little droopy, how the woman was even standing still was a mystery to her. "Is it enough, I can give you more?" Khara asked as she gestured to the bottles.

Something in that moment changed within Valerica. She didn't really think all that highly of the wolf, because of her beast blood, the savagery that pumped through its veins. But the wolf had already, in a way, saved her life by getting her through the portal in time. But also, it had already questioned her actions and even stopped her from doing them. And it had also offered almost off of its blood by the look of it. Valerica frowned upon her own thoughts. _She, not it._ It was clear that the wolf cared about her daughter greatly, it was clearly shown in her actions. And in a way, Valerica was glad that Serana had her friend, it made the woman relieved that out of all the people who could have possibly found Serana in Dimhollow, that it was the wolf that had been the one to do so. The woman was clearly capable of defending herself and others.

Anyways, the point was that the wolf was probably a few drops away from going into some kind of coma, and she still offered to give more blood.

"It's more than enough." She changed her voice now, it was slightly more welcoming and kind. She sort of did it without thinking, she carried a chair over to the bed and gestured for the wolf to sit down. The wolf mumbled a quiet _thanks_ before sitting down.

As Valerica used some of the blood to create a powerful blood potion that would help her daughter in her fight against the infection, she couldn't help but miss the wolf's eyes, they were burning. She also didn't miss how those burning eyes were stuck on her daughter.

Before anything else could be done, Garan walked into the room, carrying more supplies that Valerica had asked him specifically to gather for her. Before leaving the room, Khara asked a favor.

"Could you take these to The College of Winterhold for me?" She asked as she showed him the gems.

He smiled at her and nodded as he spoke. "Well of course, I owe you one due to the rings you so kindly had enchanted for us, I will leave right away. Who should I ask for once there?"

"Tolfdir, just get the gems to him and that will be all you need to do. If you aren't granted access to the College, then tell them you know about the Star." She told him. She knew that Tolfdir and the others could deal with the rest by themselves, the ritual to cleanse the Star was quite simple, or at least simple for her fellow mages. Khara herself would probably just be in the way anyways, it was better this way.

"Very well, I shall gather my things and leave at once." Garan took the gems and quickly made his way out of the room. Khara sat back down in the chair and rested, her eyes not daring to move too far away from the woman lying in bed.

"Azura's Star, is that what you were talking about?" Valerica asked with a raised eyebrow as she worked her magic with the potions.

Khara looked over to the older woman, unsure if she was actually interested or if she just wanted to talk to avoid the silence. When their eyes met for a brief second however, Khara noticed that the woman's interest seemed genuine. "Yes, it's the whole reason we ended up in The Soul Cairn to begin with." Khara placed her elbows on the bed as she leaned on them.

"How so?" Valerica asked before her hands required her vision to continue their work.

"An old and dying mage wanted to become immortal and so he thought it clever to put his soul inside the Star." Khara shook her head. "Why he didn't just turn to vampirism is beyond me."

 _Vampirism…_ That made Valerica look at the wolf once more. And this time she took notice, this woman seemed incredibly calm with being in a castle full of blood-sucking bloodsuckers, so either the wolf was fine with it or…"Let me have a look at you." Valerica said as she got to the other side of the bed, potions in hand.

Khara sat up straight in her seat as she looked at the woman, her eyes were filled with a little confusion and nervousness.

Valerica's face took on a clever smile as she removed her eyes off the woman and began to treat Serana's hand. "Just how many bloods do you have in you?" She asked as she worked.

Khara huffed a laugh. "Probably too many." She admitted to the woman.

Valerica smiled, a werewolf with humor, what are the chances? She still hadn't gotten her answer though. "And just how many is that?"

"I'm a hybrid if that's what you're asking for." Khara said amused, Valerica was so very much like her daughter with her speech.

Their little chat were interrupted when Serana began to move again, just like before but with much more gentle movements.

"I thought we fixed this." She said to herself as she readied her magic, she thought she had removed the little bit of dark magic that was in her daughter's mind.

"We did, she's having a bad dream is all." Khara said quietly as she slowly placed her hand on top of Serana's, making the dream vanish completely. No more words were traded that night, they were all exhausted, and when Valerica was asked to come to the main hall in order to explain things to the other members of the clan, Khara volunteered to keep watch over Serana.

The wolf leaned onto the bed once more and tried to calm herself as best she could, she didn't know for how long Serana would be in this state, but for now something told the wolf to simply be patient, and so she waited.

* * *

 _-Two days later_

Khara was currently walking down the bridge of Windhelm, the City of Kings. She had to admit that the city was impressive, it was just a shame that it was ruled and mostly inhabited by less impressive individuals. She had been inside the city a few times in the past, and every time something or someone had made the wolf expect less and less from the snow-covered city.

Now as for the reason she was here and not back at Castle Volkihar was simple, Brynjolf had sent a raven for her, letting Khara know that he had a little problem. She would rather be with Serana, who had still to wake when she had been there, but Brynjolf sounded proper worried in his letter, and he mostly takes care of things himself. So, for him to call on Khara meant that this _little_ problem was a huge problem.

She had to do a fair amount of talking with the guards at the entrance, but in the end they let her pass and enter their city. She took a right and followed the path to the Guild's headquarter in the hold. Once inside she spotted Brynjolf right away.

"Glad you could make it so fast." He then noticed that his Guildmaster were alone. "Where's Serana? Trouble in paradise?"

"She's…" _Currently fighting the dark magic given to her by a Boneman of The Soul Cairn, the realm of the Ideal Masters. You know, one of the realms of Oblivion? "_ Unable to travel for the moment." She settled on saying.

"I see, now then, the business?" He asked as he guided Khara over to some chairs by a table.

"The business." The woman confirmed with a nod and they sat down.

"Alright, so The Goldenclaw Company is doing pretty good, coins is rolling in like never before. The last shipment were so successful that I might have overdone it and ordered too big of an order this time."

"And let me guess, it was stolen?" Khara asked.

"It was stolen." Brynjolf confirmed.

She shook her head at him, she already knew why she was here. "And you want me to get it back."

"And I want you to get it back." He confirmed yet again, a small smile on his lips this time.

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes for a passing moment. "Alright, where am I heading this time?"

He smiled at her. "The lads that took the cargo call themselves the Blood Horkers, they're pirates. Now for the location of their hideout, I don't really have an idea of where it could be, but!" He paused dramatically. "I went down to the docks some hours ago and met with a man called Orthus Endario, he represents the East Empire Company here in Windhelm. Apparently we aren't the only ones being hit by these pirates. I talked with the man and he knew of a member of the little gang of raiders."

That peeked Khara's interest, maybe this wouldn't take all that long after all. "We know where to go then?"

"Aye lass, that we do and not only that, but Orthus promised us a good chunk of coin if we were able to remove these pirates for good." Brynjolf said and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

Khara chuckled, she knew that look all too well. "What's your plan here, Bryn?"

"We possibly know how to get to these pirates, if we _deal_ with them we'll get paid handsomely _and_ these pirates will most likely have a lot of ships…Do you know who could use a lot of ships?" He looked at her with eagerness.

She narrowed her eyes at the man. "We could?" Khara asked a little unsure.

Brynjolf jumped out of his seat, snapped his fingers and quickly said back down. He leaned closer and spoke. "That's right! Just think about it, pirates do what they do because of the coin involved, aye? I'm sure that if we showed them just how profitable it would be to be workin' with us, they wouldn't even think twice about signing up."

The Goldenclaw Company did indeed need their own ships, it would reduce the amount of pay they had to use on others to transport their items. But pirates? Khara was unsure yet intrigued by the idea. It could also prove useful in other situations to have their own ships and crews.

She looked at him. If they were to work with pirates, then they would have to change their lifestyles in order for the wolf to be fine with it. "They would need to follow certain rules, Bryn."

He nodded furiously. "I've spent my fair share with bandits, marauders, raiders and thieves, lass. Their loyalty lays with whoever or whatever pays the most."

She held his gaze for a few passing moments. "I will hold you responsible if things go south." She warned him with a stern look.

"Duly noted, so do I have your blessing?" He asked with a charming smile.

"Fine.-" He cheered. "But you'll have to come with me and deal with this." His cheer turned into a groan.

Brynjolf did agree to come with her in the end because truth be told, it had been a while since he last left the cities to do business, and it had been an even longer time since he had traveled with Khara. They made their way to the Windhelm stables and hired a carriage to take them to Dawnstar, according to the man Brynjolf had talked with, there should be a man holding the information they needed in the tavern there.

Brynjolf looked to his Guildmaster and noticed that she seemed off, something was clearly bothering the woman and so Brynjolf offered the one thing he knew would make her feel better, even just for a little while. He nudged her with his elbow before handing her some strong liquor, she tasted it and grimaced as she shook her head.

"Is this the same shit Delvin drinks?" She asked him and Brynjolf only laughed. "Bloody disgusting." She grunted.

* * *

"Now who do you think it is?" Brynjolf asked as he leaned closer to Khara.

"Probably the one with the cockiest lines." Khara told him as her eyes scanned the inn's patrons. Whoever they were looking for were somewhere in here, that they knew, they just needed to find out who it was.

Right after she had spoken the voice of a man could be heard. "Excuse me darling, but are you a sea lion? Because I can sea you lion in my bed tonight!" One of the obvious pirates told one of the poor girls who worked at the inn. His crewmen roared in laughter over the man's words.

At the same time both Khara and Brynjolf spoke. "It's him." They said in unison. Khara told Brynjolf to get them a room while she would get the man there herself.

She pulled down her hood, walked up to the man and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and didn't even try to be subtle with his wandering eyes, after a few seconds he looked up to her face.

"I got some business I'd like to talk with you about." That was all she said before walking over to the room that her Guild mate had fixed for them. She didn't even need to turn around to see if the man would follow. He probably thought that she meant something else entirely by the way is crew were cheering at him.

Khara entered the room, walked up to the table by the end of the bed and turned around, hand on her hip as she waited for the captain. Once he entered the room his lips turned into a smirk as he didn't even think twice before walking straight up to Khara.

She neatly pulled out Nettlebane and placed it against his chest, making the man stop in his tracks. "Woah, you like it rough then I take it?" He asked. She sighed as she looked beyond the man, to Brynjolf who closed the door and locked it. The captain turned around and spotted the other man. "Hold on now, I'm not into _that_ , I don't share."

"By the love of…" Khara shook her head. She dragged a chair out from under the table and Brynjolf placed a hand on the man's shoulders, forcing him to sit down and listen.

Khara walked to stand before him and spoke. "When I said I had business I wanted to discuss, I meant _business_." She told him.

Brynjolf saw that look in Khara's eyes, she didn't want to waste much of her time on this man and Brynjolf agreed. "You're the captain of the crew, aren't you?" Brynjolf asked.

The man looked over his shoulder, at Brynjolf. "Aye, I am, what's it to you?" He said with skeptical eyes.

"Your little clan of pirates stole something from us not long ago, we want it back." Khara told him, making the man look at her again.

His lips turned into a clever grin. "Now I don't know what you're talking about here, I sail alone, only me and my crew. _But_ if I were in a clan of pirates, as you called it, then I think I would have said…-" He leaned a little closer to Khara. "Fuck off." His grin told her that he was quite pleased with himself.

Khara bent down and looked into his eyes. "Let me just make one thing very clear here, me and my associate represent an outfit, a group if you may. Do you have any idea of what group we represent?" She asked him, when he shook his head she continued. "No? We're quite known around Skyrim, you might have heard of us. We're in every major town in the province-." His eyes widened. "But we mostly do our business from Riften, sound familiar?"

"Y-you're with the Thieves Guild?" The Thieves Guild, they were probably the only ones that were better at robbing people than he and his crew were. In his eyes, the thieves of the legendary guild were, well…They were legends, heroes in the eyes of beggars and burglars, raiders and swindlers. The story of the Thieves Guild were known to every man or woman who had chosen to make a living from stealing from others. The man behind him released a low laugh over his words and his stuttering.

"Way better, lad." Brynjolf patted his shoulder before leaning in closer to the man's ear. "You're looking at the bloody Guildmaster." The thief said with a smirk.

He looked up at Khara who had crossed her arms at this point. He opened is mouth to speak, but it took some time before he finally found the words. "W-we didn't know, I swear on my mum's life. We saw the ship, it's lack of guards and we went for it, that's it." He told them. "Had we known that is was your folk's stuff then we never would've thought about it." He was nervous, that was obvious.

"It's quite clear that you're not the one calling the shots here-." She leaned closer and looked deeply into his eyes, making sure that her eyes glowed brightly. "So who is?" She asked him, and the tone of her voice demanded an answer.

He looked at Khara before speaking, he didn't dare to not give the woman what she wanted to know. "Haldyn, he's the leader of the Blood Horkers."

Khara nodded, making sure to remember that name. "And where can we find him?"

"At Japhet's Folly. Haldyn knows a lot of that magic stuff he does, has kept the place hidden for years." The man looked about ready to shit himself, and who knew? Maybe he was.

Khara and Brynjolf shared a look, both smiled at the other. Intimidation always worked wonders in these kinds of situations. "Alright then, how about you ready your crew and take us to meet with this Haldyn?" He squeezed the man's shoulder harder. "You can do that for us, can't you?" Brynjolf asked the man.

He was in the same room as the Guildmaster of the infamous Thieves Guild, and not only that, but another member of the group were right behind him. He could try and yell for his crewmates, but that would probably not work out in his favor. He really didn't have much of a choice here.

"We'll leave port within ten minutes." The man said quickly as he nodded.

Brynjolf looked at Khara and smiled. "Clever man." He said as he patted the man on the shoulder before letting him get up from his seat.

They watched as the man got out of the room and readied his crew. Brynjolf looked over at Khara again and spoke. "Think we can handle this ourselves?" He wondered if they would need the help of others on this, but something about Khara's whole posture told him that he may be wrong.

"Yeah, men like him doesn't rise to power. I bet you that this Haldyn is a lot more smarter than that man, and smart men can be reasoned with." Khara told her Guild mate as they walked out the room.

Not long after they were down at the docks, ready to set sail to Japhet's Folly. As the winds carried them over the ocean's deep, Khara kept trying to stay distracted from what she had traveled from, from _whom_ she had traveled from. She swore to herself that in the very moment this whole pirate business was over and done with, she would get back to Volkihar, to Serana, as fast as possible. Because not only did the wolf feel lonely, but she felt pain, real stinging, gripping pain. It was like her whole being longed for her mate's touch, her scent, her laugh, _everything_. Never before would she have guessed that it would feel like this to be away from someone who gave life such meaning.

It might be a little cliché but…Without Serana by her side the sun didn't shine as brightly, the stars had lost their charming sparks and the moon's glow had weakened. For every hour that passed, so did the colors of this world, it was all starting to look so lifeless.

Khara shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts, she needed to focus on the task, to deal with Haldyn. Serana would be fine, she would. And they would be together again soon, she knew it. Right now she just had to sail a little, talk with a man and then she would return to her beloved. It was that simple.

"It's that simple." She whispered to herself as the waves carried her further and further away from home.

* * *

Brynjolf had to admit that the Horker's hideout were well hidden, he was sure that if he was to sail out and try to find this place on his own, he would fail. Because all around the small island there were a thick fog, so thick that you would think you could touch it and actually feel something against your palm. He had never seen anything like it.

He was quiet when they were led from the docks, he simply followed his Guildmaster and kept an open eye, watching over Khara if things were to get complicated. However he couldn't stop himself from walking with his nose a little higher than normal. Rumor spread like the pest and every single soul on Japhet's Folly didn't dare meet his gaze, he grinned to himself as he could get used to this. He follow and watched as Khara walked like she didn't have a care in the world, and the look suited her quite well, he thought. _Fearless_.

Now as for the hideout itself, he didn't really know what to expect. A little village perhaps? An old down and worn tavern even, but when his eyes met that ice-covered stone, he was surprised to see that it was a fort and it didn't look too shabby. Sure it wasn't in the greatest shape, but it was far from crumbling still.

The captain, Stig Salt-Plank as he called himself, were now leading them through the forts corridors, up some stairs and then some more halls before he stopped them. Their little tour for the fort was less impressive, it wasn't as fleshed out as Brynjolf had hoped for, but such things could easily be changed with the right amount of coin.

"This is Haldyn's office, he's right inside and expecting you. Just head on in whenever." Stig said before leaving them at the wooden door.

Brynjolf waited till he could no longer hear the man's steps before he turned to Khara. "So how do you want to do this, lass? Want me to take the lead in there, or have you sharpened that tongue of yours?"

Khara inhaled before nodding to him. "I think I got this, just be ready to join in if needed."

"Aye, you got it." He walked closer to the door and opened it for Khara, once inside he closed it and stood by it, just incase something were to happen.

There was a desk in the middle of the room, and by it sat a man, a Redguard by the look of it. He rose his gaze to see who it was that was entering his office unannounced, but when he saw that these two people were not members of his clan, he stood up from his comfy chair. "I take it you're the representatives of the Guild? I got your cargo on one of my ships already, fully loaded and ready to go whenever you are. So how about we make this quick, so we can put this whole situation behind us." He looked at them, looked at Khara.

"We could just leave and make this a thing of the past, yes, but you're little stunt with our shipment gave us an idea." Khara told him, and the man's eyebrows rose, making his interest known. "A very beneficial idea, if you're interested?" She asked him.

"No, no go on, you've peeked my interest now." He said as he gestured for Khara to sit in the chair opposite him.

"Well we couldn't help but notice your ships, and by the look of things, you certainly have the manpower to operate them." Khara looked to her side, pretending not to bee all that interested on the whole matter. She then looked back at Haldyn. "Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you have the ships and we have the cargo, simple as that. Now I'm sure that a man of your caliber can see where I'm going with this."

He scratched his chin as he looked at her, slowly a grin crept on his lips. "Oh, that I do. You want my men to sail for you, to transport your cargo."

Khara had to smile a little over his words, he wasn't as daft as she thought he would be. "That I do."

He hummed and looked down at his desk. "Now I guess that _if_ I were to agree on this, me and my men would have to follow some rules, wouldn't we?" He asked and Khara nodded, confirming his beliefs. "Well…Then there really is just one question left, isn't there?"

"Sure is, how much?" She asked him. How much would she need to offer him on order to gain his loyalty, how much was he worth?

He held her eyes and spoke in a serious voice. "Fifty."

She shook her head. "Thirty." There was no way in Oblivion that he was getting that much.

He leaned back in his seat. "Come now, forty-five."

"Thirty, and the Guild will pay bail for whenever one of your boys get their ass thrown in jail." Khara offered. "Something I would believe would happen often."

"Aye, it would. How about we get thirty percent, the bail as you said _and_ you pay for the first round of repairs for my vessels." He offered her. It was no lie, his ships had certainly seen better days and could use some fixing here and an upgrade there.

 _It's an investment,_ her dragon aspect told her and the wolf spirt within agreed, along with Khara herself. "How many ships do you have?"

"Fifteen." He told her.

It would be expensive, but with fifteen ships she would get those coins back before she could blink. They would pretty much pay for themselves. Khara shrugged her shoulders and stood up from her seat. "Your men _will_ have to follow the rules while working, can they handle that?"

"If payed the right amount then they can handle anything you throw at them." He said as he too got up from his chair. "So, do we have a deal?"

"I believe we do." She shook his hand and gestured for Brynjolf to step up as she walked over by the door.

"You'll be contacted shortly by another representative from our organization." He handed Haldyn a letter containing all sorts of useful information. "Now on the paper, you'll be working for The Goldenclaw Company. And as I said, our man, Delvin, will fill you in on the details when the time comes."

"Sounds like a plan, as long as there is coin promised, then you can count on my boys to do the job and to do so flawlessly." He said with a smile, he was most pleased with this deal.

"Good. Now I don't think that I really need to say this, but better safe than sorry, ey?" Brynjolf leaned closer to the man. His voice changed and so did the look in his eyes. "Double cross us and it'll be the last thing you'll ever do, but do as we say, when we say, and you'll walk away rich."

"No need telling me twice. When I see a good opportunity, I don't stand still and watch is pass me by. You'll have no problems from me or my boys, I can promise you that."

"Good, then I look forward to working with you in the future." Brynjolf said as he looked at the man with a slight smile on his lips. He had to admit, Haldyn had a thief's heart and that was something he could work with.

"Likewise, just tell my boys that I sent you when you get back to the docks and they'll take you to wherever you want to go." He took the papers off his desk and grinned, he would be rich within a few months. "Pleasure doing business with you." They heard him say as they walked out of the room.

As they walked though the halls of the fort, Khara looked and met Brynjolf's gaze. Both started smiling like mad before Brynjolf bumped into Khara's side. "Is there anything we can't do, lass?"

Khara joined in on the joke and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll let you know when I find out." Brynjolf's laugh echoed throughout the stone halls.

* * *

 _She was in a desert, she didn't know where this desert was, all she knew was that she was in it and that she was alone. The intense heat from the sun were cool enough to not burn her skin, but still warm enough to make it feel like her skin were about to boil. The rays from the burning orb in the skies above were causing her great misery as her legs carried her over the sand-covered wasteland._

 _She couldn't remember how she got there or where here even was. She didn't know why she was here, or what she had done to deserve to be in such a dreadful place to begin with. She was alone, there were nothing else or anyone else there with her, she didn't even have the privilege to have a shadow. It was like the sun was everywhere around her, making sure it hit her from all directions, all at once._

 _She was thirst, for both blood and water, she just needed something to rid herself of the dryness that was currently growing in her throat. It was like she swallowed sand for each breath she took, it was agonizing._

 _She looked around and spotted something in the distance. It looked like a house, a small yet cozy looking hut of sorts. Without anything else to go towards, she made her way over to the building rather fast. The thought of escaping the heat of the sun fueled her to move faster with each step until she had reached her destination._

 _There were no windows, only one single worn down door. She opened it without thinking twice and was met with a dark room. She took a step inside and as she did so the door behind her closed itself._

 _A feeling that felt familiar yet unknown to her came and settled down in her chest as something in her head told her to get out of there. She turned around and as she was about to reach the door, she was only met with a wall._

 _Panic started to develop in her mind now as her hands were franticly moving along the wall, trying to find the door. Her breathing increased as a sound could be heard. It was like the sound two stones made when they moved against each other. She looked around only to discover that the walls were closing in on her. Her feet carried her to each and every part of the ever-closing room as she tried with all her might to find a way out, a window, a door, anything._

 _She kicked and punched, slammed and scratched the walls, but there was no use, there was no escaping this._

 _Before the pressure of the four walls became too much and broke her body, they slowly came to a stop. And so there she was, stuck, unable to move a muscle as she was squeezed between the walls. Her voice was already dry, but after hours on end shouting, her vocal cords were about to tear._

 _As she was about to give up, she noticed a small crack appear on the wall, just giving her the ability to look through it. She could see the outside once again, but also so much more this time. There were buildings all around, cities, towns, camps and settlements of all forms and sizes. But more importantly, she could see people. She opened her mouth but as she was about to yell, her throat stung painfully. She tried again and again until she started to cough, until she could taste her own blood in her mouth._

 _Her eyes then settled on the setting sun, but something wasn't right about it, it was beginning to move faster. Suddenly it was night, then day again, followed by another sight of the moon. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, time was moving and it was moving at an incredible speed. The days were just flying by._

 _Her eyes fell from the skies and looked to the structures around her and sure enough, she could see them crumble down to the earth, then be rebuild countless times. Hundreds of years passed her by as she was still stuck in the same prison, forced to watch as it happened. Unable to move, to breathe without pain, to speak. She was trapped in time, because everything around her was moving, everything but her._

 _Centuries passed as she was forced to watch before something different happened. The ground shook and the crack who she had been able to see through were now gone, like it had never been there to begin with and once more everything was dark._

 _The ground shook again before the sound of moving stone found her ears again, she closed her eyes and prepared herself, because she thought she knew what was about to happen, she was finally being set free._

 _The wall before her fell down and a bright light invaded her senses. Only when she felt cool fresh air hit her face did she dare open her eyes. There was someone there, but the person was standing in front of a bright blueish light, she couldn't see the person's face. On further inspection she came to the conclusion that this person was a woman due to the shapes and curves, but…Who was she?_

 _All of a sudden the whole room turned upside-down. It happened so fast that she was thrown out of her stone prison and was now lying on the cold stone floor. She quickly looked up but saw none this time around, she was alone again. She also saw that she was somewhere else this time, she was walking some stairs, which seemed fine, but she did so backwards._

 _She had no control over her body as she continued to move in the wrong direction of where she was facing. Time seemed to speed up once again as she continued to move faster. She was inside a fort or a castle of sorts before she was in the air. She got on a ship, then an island. Thousand of images flashed before her, but something told her that this wasn't just pictures…They seemed like memories._

 _But every sound was muffled, every face was just a patch of skin. No noses nor eyes or mouths, nothing. It was terrifying. As the images sped up, her whole vision started to darkened. With having been denied her vision, she could feel something behind her. It was like that feeling one would get when they were being watched, just that this time it was intensified greatly. She may have lost her vision for the moment, but in return her legs were once more hers to control and she immediately started to walk away from whatever it was that gave her this eerie feeling._

 _As she moved away, arms in front of her in case she were to walk into something, she noticed that her hearing was coming back, but she wasn't all that glad when she couldn't just hear her own footsteps, no…She could hear someone else's too._

 _It's strange how sounds without the aid of vision seems to be so frightening, because she was running now, and so too was the person that was behind her. She continued to run and spotted something in front of her. Maybe it was a door, a window or something of that like, whatever it was, she made sure to get to it. It was like the smallest of lights and when she got there her hands found a doorknob. She grabbed it and turned it around so fast that when she entered whatever it was that she was entering, that she didn't even get a chance to see that this new place had indeed no floors._

 _She fell and she fell for a long time. Her voice had still been taken from her, and so she could only remain silent as she fell through the endless depts of this twisted place. She could see the ground now, and it was ever so slightly getting closer to her. Just as she made impact, she shook._

Serana opened her eyes quickly, but couldn't help but flinch from the brightness of the room she was currently in. She felt different now, she felt like she was no longer in that place, that…That prison of stone, or that world where everything was just wrong. She looked around carefully and saw that she was in bed, her bed, as in her bedchambers in Castle Volkihar. She closed her eyes again and released a breath which she had been holding.

She heard someone walk closer to her and so she reopened her eyes. She was met with the face of her…"Mother." Serana mumbled.

"How do you feel?" Valerica asked her.

"Not that great…" She slowly sat up a little and rested against the headboard. When she did so however, she felt a stinging pain in her left hand. She moved her arm to see what was causing her this stinging burn. When her hand were in her vision she saw that her hand was bandaged.

Valerica saw the strange look of confusion on her daughter's face and immediately sat down on the bed as she continued to watch her daughter with caution.

Serana slowly unwrapped her hand and when it was fully removed her eyes widened because of what she could see, or lack of what she could see. "How did I…What happened?" She asked at she looked at Valerica with eyes filled of worry.

Valerica was beginning to see some worrying things, but perhaps she was wrong? She offered her daughter a small smile as she took Serana's hand in her own. "You were sick, dear. Tell me, what is the last thing you remember?"

Valerica saw that the look of confusion increased in her daughter's eyes, and when Serana finally spoke, it forced Valerica to copy her daughter's reaction.

* * *

Khara walked inside Castle Volkihar and quickly made her way over to the last door that remained between her and Serana. Outside the other woman's room however stood Valerica and Garan. Something told the wolf that something was wrong and so she walked faster as she was worried that there might have been a complication in Serana's recovery.

Garan saw the ever-closing form of the wolf and nodded at her, letting the wolf know he had words she needed to hear. "Is all well?" Khara asked the two.

Valerica and Garan shared a look before Garan spoke. "There may be a slight problem, but it may not be anything major." He told her.

"May be a slight problem?" Khara asked, for what did that even mean? Either there was a problem or there wasn't, simple as that. She didn't understand what he meant.

Valerica looked at Khara and slowly opened the door. "It's easier if you see it yourself, maybe she'll remember you." The older woman said, but Khara stopped her from entering the room.

"Why wouldn't she remember me?" She asked Valerica with narrowed eyes.

Valerica looked at Garan. "Lady Serana is having some difficulties recalling the events of late." The man explained.

"It looks like some of the magic from that Boneman reached her mind, hopefully it's nothing permanent." Valerica said and this time Khara let go of the woman. They made their way inside the room to see Serana sitting in bed with a book in hand.

Just seeing the woman made the wolf smile a little, she immediately felt better. All those awful feelings left her in the very moment she entered the room really. She could finally breathe with ease again, everything in her chest settled down and her mind seemed less of a mess.

Serana looked up from her book and smiled at her mother and good friend Garan, but when those orange-glowing eyes met blue-glowing ones, her smiled changed a little. Serana put her book on the nightstand and stood up from her bed. Her mother walked over to her daughter and together they turned to look at Khara.

Both Valerica and Garan looked at Serana with great interest, like they were waiting for something to happen. "Do you know who she is, Serana?" Valerica asked as she gestured at Khara.

Serana looked over at the woman standing next to Garan. She furrowed her brows as she scanned the woman's armor, her weapons and her entire form. Something about this woman seemed so familiar, yet completely unknown to her.

When she looked into those strange glowing eyes she made up her mind and told her mother the following. "No, I don't."

And for the wolf, those words made Mercer's stab in her stomach feel like the sting of a needle compared to what she was feeling now. She wished that this was all a dream and that she would soon wake up because those words echoed throughout her mind, making her aspects run around in panic, for what was she to do now?

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Oh man, I feel awful doing that. I mean just woah, I may need to lay down. I just…I don't know, felt like we needed something to happen this chapter and I thought 'why not?' Now if you hate me just think about it for a second. Now they can fall in _love_ again! Oh god, I made myself cringe…That sounded so much better in my head, uhh.

I just feel like this could be cool though, if I manage to do it right. It could make the girls have to deal with some challenging feelings and thoughts, and I really think that it could work out.

Now for the next part of our story…Not really sure what quest to cover right now. As I mentioned before I do have one quest ready and all, but more time needs to pass before I can write about it. I guess some smaller quest could also work, actually that would work just fine, seeing to how I can then put more focus on the girls. *Zep nods to herself." Yes that sounds good, I will do that.

As always if you have any quests that you want me to cover in the story, then just let me know! I'll take all the help I can get!

Have a good day guys and gals!

-Zep


	33. Chapter 33

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 33_

 _Wolves and Witches_

Except for the increased glow in her eyes, Khara didn't show all those emotions currently crashing down on her on the inside. She simply offered the Volkihar women an understanding smile before turning to Garan. "Perhaps it would be best if I left for the moment." Khara said in a calm voice as she nodded to Serana, who was busy talking with her mother. "I'm sure this is all very confusing to her. And it's probably for the best if you two were to explain a few things to her instead of me. She remembers you two, it'll be easier."

Garan looked at her with a shocked expression. "It would be simpler for her, yes. But she isn't the only one involved here." Garan guided Khara out of the room and closed the door, just in case Serana were listening to their conversation. "As Lady Valerica said, the loss of memories may only be temporarily. For the time being it might be best if she is around a familiar place with familiar people, but as for the recovery of her memories, doing the things that you two did may help her remember."

Khara nodded slowly. "Just spending time with her then?"

"Correct. Now I'm sure Lady Serana have a lot on her mind, but I can see that you do as well. How about you take some fresh air, get those thoughts in order and then we'll see about helping Serana to regain what she has lost?" He offered her as he continued to hold her gaze, to get a glance of what the wolf was thinking.

Khara could only nod to him. "I'll do that, how soon can I return?" She asked.

"I would say a few hours at most, the sooner she sees you and the more often she sees you may help trigger some old memories to resurface." Khara nodded again as she readied herself to leave. Garan pitied the woman, he really did. When he had lost Serana's friendship all those years ago he too felt that something had been taken from him, so he could only try to imagine how Khara felt. He placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke one last time. "It'll be fine, just give it time. And remember that you have just as much right as everyone else here, the castle's doors are open for you, please treat it as your second home if you may." He was right. They shared the same blood now, she was, in a way, a part of the clan, a fellow vampire.

She managed to smile a little over that. "You're a good man, Garan." With that she left the man to return to his duties.

For the moment she just needed to get out of there, and with the doors to the courtyard being as close as they were, then that is where her feet carried her. She opened the old doors and was met with the cold wind. When she walked down the steps she finally rose her gaze once she heard something move in front of her.

Odahviing gently poked the tree with his wing, wondering if it really looked as dead as it did. When it fell over his eyes followed it before landing on Khara who was standing at the bottom of some stairs. His wings got closer to his body, as if he was hugging himself as his gaze kept moving from the tree and to the wolf. "Krosis." He said to her.

She walked over to him and placed her hand on his warm snout. "What are you doing here, zeymah?" She asked gently.

"I met with Vulthuryol as I flew over the College, briinah. He told me that you were here and since it had been days since I last heard your call, I thought it best to investigate." He explained. When Khara only nodded to him he knew something was up. "Something on your mind, young one?" He asked gently as he lowered his body.

She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Can we just…Go somewhere else? A place where no one can hear us shout?" Her voice was beginning to lose its fight against her ever so growing emotions, she was about to burst.

"Geh, we can." He lowered his body even more and allowed the woman to climb him. Quickly they made their way to and island of ice to the north-west of the castle. It was far enough from the mainland that she could shout to her heart's content without worrying about scaring some poor hunter or anyone else. They landed with ease and Khara slid off of Odahviing's back.

With the knowledge that no one could hear them, see them or even sense them. She released the raging storm within. "STRUN BAH QO!" The force of her voice, of her shout made the shout's thundering sound all that more powerful and loud. She threw off her dammed gauntlets as they were only in the way. She removed her Blade and dagger as she carelessly let them fall to the ground, not caring where they might land. She removed her cloak and let the wind do as it wished with it as she walked up to a rock.

She placed both hands on it and leaned against it with her forehead. She couldn't make her feet stand still, she couldn't keep her breathing calm as her own thoughts only worked as fuel to her fire. _She doesn't remember you._ She punched the rock with her fist, feeling her entire arm sting on impact. _All those memories, lost._ She hit it again and something broke, but she couldn't tell if it was the rock or her hand. _You're a stranger._ She hit it again with a grunt. _A foreigner to her eyes._ And again.

The thunder above swallowed her screams as she kept hitting the rock with all her strength, she just needed to break the dammed thing, she needed to make it as messed up as she was at the moment. Because this wasn't fair, not to her or… _Serana._ Her arm fell limb to her side as she turned around and slid down against the abused rock. She fell to the very ground and felt how the snow and the rain hit her. She was beginning to feel her injured hand tingle, it felt like it was in the flames of the very fire that was inside her chest, it hurt.

She leaned her head against her own hand and closed her eyes. After nothing more than a few seconds she could no longer feel the rain or the coldness of the snow. She opened her eyes and saw that a wing was blocking the weather above.

Odahviing moved carefully to lay next to Khara, his wings shielding them both from the storm above that she had summoned. He couldn't offer much other help to the woman, because she might be a dragon at heart, but her flesh is that of a mortal and so as all mortals are cursed with, she had more feelings, more understanding of emotions than he could ever grasp. And he couldn't make it better with words, he knew. So he offered her the only thing that he could, he offered his company, his warmth and his attention. And as of that moment, all Khara needed was to not be alone with the thoughts inside her mind, or so Odahviing thought.

The sound of the storm raged on for what seemed like hours, but Khara couldn't tell. "Odahviing?" Khara whispered. He hummed, letting her know that he was listening. "A while back, I…My aspect did something." She didn't know how to explained it, every word in her mind sounded wrong.

If he was able to smile, then he would have done so right now. "Did this _thing_ make warmth appear out of thin air? Did it make its energy visible, like the lights we see at night, high up in the skies?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah." It was just like that.

"Then I can only envy you, briinah. Most live their entire life without even knowing it, even fewer get to experience it, to be blessed with such a strong bond with another whom you trust."

"But what does it mean?" What did it mean for her, and more importantly, what did it mean for Serana? What could be seen with such a bond, what could be shown, be felt?

"It means whatever you want it to mean. Companionship, loyalty, devotion or support, the words matter not, how it makes _you_ feel and how it makes you act is what is important. The ultimate other, the perfect match, a soulmate may be a word to describe it in your case." He turned his head and caught her eyes. "Do you wish to speak of what have caused you this much anger?"

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Maybe another time, zeymah."

She would keep this to herself for now, she had already promised it to herself. She wouldn't let it show when she were around Serana, she couldn't, not yet.

* * *

Serana was sitting by the window in her room as she was simply watching the courtyard. It was night now, and the clouds were all gone, letting the woman see the lights dance around for her in the sky. She had surprised herself, because after being told that she had lost some memories, she were oddly calm about it. She wanted to remember, of course she did, but she found it difficult to miss something she didn't know she was missing to begin with.

There were something that had surprised her though. Like she now had one ring on her hand and another in her pockets. When she first discovered them she went pale as the snow due to her thinking that she had promised herself to someone she couldn't remember, she thought that she had married someone. She was more than relieved when she was told that it not the case.

She really couldn't thank her mother and Garan enough, they had explained so much to her. Everything from when Garan had first seen her all the way till she found her mother in The Soul Cairn. The only thing was that a lot of time was missing as Garan and Valerica could only fill in some pages of the whole book of things she had done since she was released from Dimhollow.

But her fellow vampires had told her that the woman that was in the room not long ago, the one with the burning blue eyes and snow like white hair, could offer Serana a lot more of what she had done in her time. They simply called the woman _the wolf,_ and with Serana being the sharp woman that she is, she easily figured out that the woman was a werewolf, but not only that, she was a hybrid. Both vampire and werewolf, and something else too, dragonborn. Serana's questions were starting to grow in numbers as she continued to look out the window. She had so many questions for so many different things, she weren't sure where to even start.

Her eyes then found a form in the air, something big by the looks of it. She was surprised to see that it was a dragon, and even more so when she saw that there were someone riding it. She leaned closer to the window as her curiosity of the unknown consumed her.

With ease the rider slid off the dragons back and landed on their feet, it was the wolf. The person who were supposed to have the answers to most of her questions. She didn't even think twice to go look for the woman when she saw that she was heading to the doors of the castle.

When she noticed that she was pretty much jogging through the halls, she slowed down with her feet as she didn't want to accidently run into the woman, or anyone else for that matter. She didn't see the woman, but she could smell blood. By the scent that hit her nose, Serana immediately knew that who ever the owner was, had also been her source of blood for the last few days. And Serana couldn't lie, it was some high-quality blood, it was very appetizing. So she let her nose guide her through the castle as she found herself in Feran's laboratory. She could see some light from a few candles and she knew that Feran himself, along with his apprentice, had gone to sleep for the night. The person in the room was most likely the wolf, which meant that the wolf had given Serana her blood, which further proves that this woman, whoever she might be, were perhaps a friend of hers?

Serana spotted the woman standing by a table, her weapons, gauntlets and cloak were neatly placed on the table as the woman seemed to do _something_ with her hand. "So, you're the one I have to thank for the blood." She said gently in an attempt not to spook the wolf.

The woman stopped her movements and just a second later she rose her gaze to look at Serana. She didn't speak or make any sounds as she simply nodded. Serana noticed how the woman tried to avoid eye contact, but if anything, it only made Serana want to see those blue orbs more than before.

Serana walked closer as her eyes fell to the woman's hand, her very injured hand. "What happened to you?"

Khara raised her hand a little as she too were looking at it now. She sat down in a chair before answering Serana. "Met a few bandits, they disarmed me and so I had to use my fist." _Lies, really? We're lying now?_ Khara scolded herself, she didn't tell the truth because it would be easier for her not to, but still, it didn't make it feel any better to the wolf. Her words held a sour taste as they rolled off her tongue.

"You don't know magic?" Serana asked because she could feel something off of the woman, some kind of energy.

"I do, I just don't know all that many harmful spells, and I didn't really have time to think about it. But hey-" She further inspected her hand. "It worked out…Sort of…" She trailed off as she now could see just how badly damaged her hand really were. "I think something might be broken." She added.

Serana nodded as she watch the wolf. "You heal fast, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. But bones are always a tricky thing, might be a little while before it's back to normal."

"I could look at it if you wanted?" Serana asked as she was already walking over to where Feran kept his bandages, medicine, blood potions and whatnot. She turned a chair to face the woman and sat down, she held her palm open for the wolf, waiting for her to give her the go ahead. Khara couldn't really decline Serana's offer at this point, so she placed her hand in the cool palm.

Khara was used to it, but for Serana it was like it was happening for the first time again. When their skin met, electricity could be felt. It paused her actions, but she quickly got back to it. "I don't really know how to ask this without sounding rude, but the others just kept calling you _the wolf._ " Serana said as she began cleaning blood off the hand.

"It's not rude, you don't remember. I'm pretty sure if I were in your situation then I would have done nothing _but_ asking questions. You probably couldn't get me to keep my mouth shut." Khara said as she easily forgot her anger now that she were in Serana's company. The way her voice changed, the way her words just flew off her tongue, they didn't stay in the woman's mind going through endless processes about if they were fine to say or not, they were just spoken. It made Serana see a glance of the wolf's personality. "And as for your question, I'm Khara." _Interesting name,_ Serana thought before feeling like she had thought that before. She shrugged it off as she continued to aid Khara's hand in getting better.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, again." Serana said with a small smile on her lips. She wouldn't normally be like this, so _friendly,_ but she couldn't help herself, it just felt natural. Khara released a short laugh, looks like Serana's sense of humor were still intact. Serana found herself smiling over the sound as she finished up and bandaged the hand after she had poured a healing potion over the cloth. She leaned back and admired her work.

She would have gone up from her seat, said good night and left Khara to do whatever the woman pleased, but…She was so comfortable where she was sitting right now. Her eyes fell to her own bandaged hand and it made her grin. "Looks like we're matching." She said as she raised her hand for Khara to see.

Khara smiled, but her eyes looked more apologetic than anything else, almost sad even. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that…"

"Don't be, Mother told me that if you hadn't stopped her, then I would have lost a lot more than just one finger."

"But you might have kept your memories." She would have kept her memories, the wolf was sure of it. She couldn't find it in herself to be too angry at it though. She was sure that Serana wouldn't have liked it all that much, missing a whole hand that is. And if the woman was angry over her lost finger, then Khara would take the blame instead of having Serana being angry at her mother for taking her whole hand.

Serana saw the regret in the wolf's eyes and she could hear it in her tone. But in her eyes, she had the wolf to thank for still having her hand. "Maybe, maybe not. It's done and the past is called the past for a reason. We can't change it, only learn from it." Serana said, but right after she said those words she saw that Khara's eyes found hers right away.

 _Okey, stay calm, it's probably just a weird coincidence, nothing more._ Khara felt her heart speed up a little over hearing her own words, spoken to Serana so long ago, rolling off the woman's tongue. "What you just said, do you remember where you heard that?" She asked, her voice more eager this time.

Serana thought about it with all she had but only one word could be found in her head. "Underground somewhere?" She asked unsure.

 _Better than nothing._ "Yeah, that's right. We were in Riften, we had just arrived at the Ragged Flagon." Khara explained as she continued to look at Serana. Those words were the ones she had said to Serana when they went to Riften for the first time together, that time she got stabbed by that Thalmor Assassin.

Serana smiled to both herself and Khara, she remembered something already, perhaps spending some more time with Khara would make other memories surface as well? Serana wasn't sure how to feel about how she _felt_ when talking with Khara. Their conversations had a natural, smooth flow to it. It never came to an awkward stop, or a long pause that felt uncomfortable. Whenever one topic were done spoken about they simply jumped onto the next one. They acted like they were…Like they were old friends. And even though the wolf wanted so much more than that, she was in a way glad that talking with Serana was this easy going. The questions were simple and for the moment not all that personal, which the wolf appreciated because if Serana asked who she was to her, what she was, then she wouldn't really know how to answer that. She guessed that friends were her safest bet, really good friends, friends that had been through a lot together. She just hoped that Serana's memories would return to her before the wolf was forced to reveal just how _intimate_ their relationship really were.

"Interesting, but what is the _Ragged Flagon_?" Serana asked after a moment, her curiosity were starting to fill itself up again. But unlike Garan or Valerica who needed to take breaks when they explained and answered Serana's questions, Khara simply answered and sometimes added own little personal comments on things, which Serana found to be hilarious at times.

Time flew by as every answer given to Serana only caused the woman to have even more questions. Khara kept answering the best she could and even though this felt like a normal conversation, it wasn't and the wolf was very aware of it. But Serana had just remembered something that involved her, so she would keep talking until her mouth were as dry as the Alik'r Desert.

* * *

Valerica sat down by the table and looked at her daughter. To see Serana again and to see that she was alright, that she was still breathing made all of her worries fade away. She never would have thought that she would ever be in this kind of situation again, to be with her daughter. She was glad, and so very proud. She weren't all that glad however when Garan suggested that Serana should get back out there, on the road again or wherever she and the wolf normally traveled. But she too could see that it would be the best for her daughter and so she agreed. To do the things that Serana had grown familiar with would certainly aid in getting her memories to resurface, that and she could see that her daughter were getting more restless as the days passed. She was no fool, she could see that Serana wanted to go out and see the world again, so she put her own feelings and thoughts to the side and agreed with Garan.

So here she was, sitting by a table with the wolf only a few feet away from her. She needed to talk with Khara, needed to tell the woman that this wasn't over yet and that Serana still had some of the dark magic still in her system. She told the wolf what to expect like tiredness, night terrors, sudden change in mood, poor coordination, she told her everything she knew about the magical effects of the bite of a Boneman and the wolf listened carefully.

"I'd recommend that you stay away from trouble." She told Khara, because Serana weren't at her full strength yet, her magica would be weaker, her feet slower and her reflexes sluggish.

"You got my word, I'll keep her out of harms way." Khara told her as she too were looking at the same person.

Garan paused his conversation with Serana and spoke as he looked over to the women sitting by the table. "Looks like you'll be leaving sooner than you thought, my Lady." He said as he nodded over to the table.

Serana looked to where he meant and nodded slowly. "It would seem so." She turned to look at him again. "I guess that Khara will fill me in on the rest of all this Dawnguard business." She said as Garan had told her quite a bit, and she liked it, the whole idea of the Dawnguard.

"That she can, as I mentioned, she was there too. She might even be able to explained it better than I could." He then looked over to Valerica who were coming over to them. "My Lady." He said with a bow.

"May I have a moment alone with my daughter, Garan?" Valerica asked the man.

"Of course." He said with another bow as he left them to be.

Valerica then gestured for Serana to follow her. They slowly strolled over to the main entrance as they spoke. "Remember to take it easy, don't push yourself too much."

"I know, Mother, you've told me before." Serana said amused, she had already heard those words too many times coming from her mother.

"Good, now…" She stopped them right before the doors that would take them outside to the cold winds. She looked at her daughter, she really _looked_ at her. There were so many things she wanted to say in that moment, yet none of them would make any sense to the younger vampire, for she didn't remember what Valerica had done to her, not yet anyways. She simply offered Serana a small smile before opening the door for her. "Be careful." She warned as Serana walked outside to meet the wolf.

Serana walked down the path and found the wolf leaning against the railing. It looked like the woman was deep in thought, even looked like she was talking to herself. When Serana got closer she heard the words, _not that simple_ , coming from Khara.

The wolf felt a presence and stopped her little chat with her aspects. She turned her head and looked at Serana. "You ready?" She asked.

"Yeah, just lead the way." Serana said with a small smile. They walked down to the boat and got in it. "Where are we heading actually?" Serana asked as the boat carried them over the sea.

Khara held a finger up in the air, telling Serana to give her a moment. She searched her pouches for something they had found ages ago. "There we go." Khara grabbed a map and showed it to Serana. "It's a treasure map, I thought we might as well do something less dangerous to begin with, and who knows, it might lead us to something else entirely." She said as she too looked at it. She was given this map by Serana herself all that time ago when they were trying to get Serana back to Castle Volkihar. It was a very early memory for the both of them, and the wolf thought that it might be best to start with the early memories, for both their sakes.

* * *

The road to Falkreath had been a calm and simple one, there had been no bandits, no savage beasts or any Forsworn on their path. Khara had no idea how they managed to be so lucky, but she was by no means about to complain about it. There hadn't been much conversation between the two, and it was both weird and strange, it was so very unlike them.

They had been in the Pine Forest for only a couple of hours before they found an abounded cabin, it was most likely used as a base for the local hunters, but Khara herself had never seen it used by anyone or anything. That is why she offered for them to take a break there, it was night time, all was calm and quiet, and there were no reason to rush their little treasure hunt. They had time to do so after a little break, and so they lit the campfire and sat down by it.

Not only did the wolf suggest that they paused in their current task because there was no rush, but she also did so because she knew that Serana should take it easy. Khara took out her somewhat new map and marked the location on the map. _Hunter's Rest,_ she wrote as she thought the name fitted the location quite well. As she marked a few more locations from her old map onto the new one, she saw that Serana were leaning back against a log with her eyes closed.

"You alright there?" She asked gently.

Serana opened her eyes and looked to the wolf, then looked up into the skies. "Yeah, I just feel like this is really sinking in now, you know…The whole forgetting my memories and such." Her voice was very low and calm. "I keep getting these images in my head, it's just a little tiring is all. Because I can remember certain places, like towns and cities, but I can't remember anyone being there. It's like they're ghost towns."

Khara then got an idea. "Do you think that maybe hearing some names could help you remember?"

Serana offered the wolf a smile as she nodded. "We might as well try, right?"

"Yeah, alright. Lydia?" Khara asked, she was one of the first to really sit down and talk with Serana, she remembered that quite well since the damn woman told about her drunken mess. When Serana shook her head Khara continued. "Brynjolf, Delvin, Sapphire, Rune?" For each name she said, Serana shook her head.

Serana sighed, none of these names sounded familiar to her ears. "Nothing." She sounded defeated.

Khara nodded slowly as she held the woman's gaze. "What about Tolfdir or Odahviing?"

Serana narrowed her eyes over that last name. "Wait, Odahviing is the dragon I assume?" She asked.

Khara nodded to her. "You remember him?"

"No, but I wouldn't think that a mortal would be called Winged Snow Hunter, it would make for an odd name, don't you think?" Serana said amused.

Khara lost her grip on her map and looked up at Serana with wide eyes and a smile. "You remember Dovahzul?" She asked, when Serana only looked at her with a confused look, Khara spoke again. "Daar tinvaak, hi dahmaan nii?" Khara asked once again.

Serana narrowed her eyes and the words of the wolf repeated in her mind. _This language, you remember it?_ She understood it. "I do, geh zu'u dahmaan nii."

Khara smiled at her before her stomach reminded her that it was hungry and in need of something edible. She took her crossbow off her belt and reloaded it. "It's good that you remember it, I'm glad. Now I'll see if I can't catch an unsuspecting rabbit." She stood up from the log which she had been sitting on and looked around the camp. She used her enhanced sense of smell to guide her over to where the cabin was. "Be right back." She told Serana as she walked further in that direction. She could smell something, but it was so faint, she didn't know what it was.

After a few feet she turned her head and saw the strong light of their fire. She was about to turn back to the camp and see if there weren't any small critters more south of their little makeshift camp, but one small sound made her feet pause. She straightened her posture and faced north, where the sound was coming from. It sounded like someone were…

"Screaming?" She whispered to herself. She quickly made her way back to the camp, Serana was still sitting by the fire, she was still fine. But the wolf couldn't just forget about the sounds she had just heard, she needed to investigate it further. "Did you hear that?" She asked as she walked next to Serana.

Serana focused on her hearing and she too could just about hear something in the distance. "Sounds like someone is in trouble, or in pain?" She asked as she stood up.

"Let's find out." Khara said as she held onto her crossbow with a tight grip. They walked past the cabin and further north before she was hit by that smell again. She was closer now and so it was much easier to figure out what it was. It was blood, fresh, pure blood. It made her stomach feel empty, but she ignored it. She let her nose guide them through the dark forest before they found a path, a little narrow dirt road.

"Hello? Anybody there?" The distressed man yelled as he could hear footsteps approaching.

"Take on your ring, the one in your pocket." Khara whispered to Serana as they made their way closer. This man sounded terrified and he didn't need to be met with two strangers in the middle of nowhere who had glowing eyes. Khara figured out that her eyes might be alright, but everyone knows that orange glowing eyes meant bad news most of the time and she didn't want to make the man even more afraid than what he already was.

Serana did as she was told. They walked closer and she too could smell blood, luckily though, she weren't hungry for the moment.

"You, you two! Please, I need help!" He yelled when he spotted them. There were something so pure in his voice that neither women thought that this were some kind of trap. They ran up to him and Khara kneeled down while Serana watched over them.

"What happened here?" Khara asked as she got a healing potion ready for the man. "Here, drink this." She gave him the potion.

"Thanks friend, I had almost given up hope to walk away from here." He drank the potion before speaking again. "My name is Valdr, I hunt for the Jarl, along with my friends Ari and Niels. We were hired, by Jarl Siddgeir himself, to hunt down some wolves that have taken too many lives." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he felt the potion heal his wounds. "As of what happened here, I don't really know. It all happened so fast, but as we were about to take down those blasted beasts, a man attacked us with lighting and fire."

Khara nodded as she kept her eyes on the man. "Where are your friends, Valdr?"

Grief entered his eyes. "I don't think they made it out in time, I don't know what happened to them, but I heard screaming not long ago. I think that dammed mage finished them off, like…Like a damned executioner." He hissed as he held a hand over his stomach, over his wound.

Khara stood up and looked at the cave entrance. "Head back to Falkreath, get yourself properly looked at by a healer. We'll deal with this, and if we find your friends, no matter what condition they're in, we'll get them back to Falkreath as well, I promise you that." Khara told the man as she readied herself to deal with whatever and whoever were still inside that cave.

Valdr stood up and winced as he did so. He looked at Khara and nodded. "Thank you, I'll go back home right away, be careful in there." He managed to walk, he was slow, but the wolf were sure that he would make it.

Khara walked towards the entrance without giving it much thought, but when she remembered what she had promised to Valerica she stopped and turned around. "You're supposed to take things slow." Khara pointed out, hoping that Serana would get what she meant.

Serana rolled her eyes before walking up to the wolf. "I'll stay in the back, magic only." She offered the slightly worried woman.

Khara held her eyes, unsure of what to say. She couldn't just deny the woman passage, could she? Khara thought about it, but the look in Serana's eyes said that this was not up for debate. "Fine…" She finally said after an intense, but rather short staring contest with the other woman. It's not that Khara couldn't find a good reason for Serana not to come with her, it was that she was afraid that if she kept their eyes connected for much longer she might let her eyes reveal a little too much. "But you _stay_ in the back."

Serana sent her a pleased smile before she turned around and together, they entered the cave. It was like most caves really, or maybe it was a little more pleasant to the eye than most. As they slowly made their way further into the cave, they came upon a body. "No heartbeat on that one, keep going." Serana whispered. It was the body of a woman, most likely Valdr's friend, Ari.

As they moved they just kept spotting dead wolves all around, there must have been at least six of them. Khara had never seen a wolf pack this size before, and the wolf had seen her fair share of them. She then heard a whimper, a scream of pain coming from somewhere further within the cave, and if the wolf's ears didn't deceive her, then it was the whimper of an injured wolf. She crouched down and slowly followed the cave wall, she spotted the wolf easily. It had one of its legs almost completely ripped off, the poor thing must have been in agony. As she didn't see nor hear anything else, she made her way over to the beast, prepared to end its misery with Nettlebane. Whenever it released a whimper, her wolf aspect would answer it in her head, she felt for it, she really did.

She came into view of the wolf, and when their eyes met, something within the wolf changed. It got up on it's remaining functional legs and made a dash for her throat. She just managed to move her head out of the way, but now the beast was lying on top of her, teeth trying to reach her face. She used one hand to grab the fur on its neck and with her other one, she stabbed it.

Weakened by the new wound, the wolf rolled off Khara and to her side, but it wasn't done. It's jaw still longed to be introduced to the woman's flesh and it squirmed ever so closer to her. Khara held its head in place as she got on top of it, and with a quick move she plunged her dagger into its head.

Serana ran up to her and quickly grabbed Khara's arm, pulled her to the side and used a fire spell to keep the other wolf at bay. She had almost completely missed it by how well its fur blended in with the shadows.

Khara got on her feet and ran to the side, making sure to avoid the flames coming from her companion. She kicked the wolf in the head, drew her Blade and cut it clean off. There was something in the way it moved, something in the way it had roared just before being decapitated that felt off to the wolf.

"No! You're ruining everything!" A spell came her way, she managed to get up a weak ward to fend it off. She then rolled to the side and took cover behind a rock.

"Don't kill him, I need to speak with him." She told Serana who happened to use the very same rock as their last defense against the mage. Serana nodded and removed her spells, or at least the harmful ones…Okay, she removed the _more_ harmful ones, the lesser ones were still fine.

Khara cleared her throat and prepared her voice. This man seemed to fully depend on his magica, so he would most likely not be all that strong. She jumped over the rock and locked him in sight. "WULD!" She shouted and in less than a second she had her hand firmly around his neck. She noticed how he was shocked over the sudden move, but that he also had some fight in him still. He were about to summon a spell, but Khara spoke before that could happen. "Unless you want a broken neck, I suggest that you dismiss your spells, mage." She growled at him, her eyes burned brighter as she held his gaze. He was older than most, and with great age came the decay of muscles. He weren't strong at all, almost just skin and bone really.

"And you would let me live after you've had your fill?" He spat at her. "After you've asked your questions?"

"That depends on the answers, doesn't it?" She spat back, two could play this game. He grunted but nodded nonetheless. She released her hold on him. He staggered back a few steps before grabbing his throat and began coughing. "What did you do to those wolves?"

"Well aren't you a sharp one, what makes you think that I had anything to do with it?" He said with humor, like he didn't know what she was talking about.

But Khara could see that he was an old man, and with age comes knowledge, wisdom. "I won't underestimate your intelligence if you don't underestimate mine, now answer me."

He looked at her with a crooked smile, he liked her attitude. "I work for a coven. My masters wanted to try some magic with these beasts and so I simply did as they wished." He told her.

Khara nodded to him. "And what have caused your masters to wish such things?"

He huffed. "Those _dogs_ in Whiterun made an attempt on their lives, we simply wish to repay them with the same kindness."

Khara stepped closer and it made the man tremble where he stood. _Good, he knows his place,_ her wolf aspect whispered to her. "You're talking about the Companions." She pointed out.

"The _Companions_ , I hear that they have quite the reputation. I can only imagine how that will change once the full moon comes." His laugh were filled with mischief.

Khara tapped her Blade on the stone wall next to him. "Explain."

"With pleasure. We were attacked by two of their members, two werewolves." He said and Khara knew who it was right away. Bloody Farkas and Vilkas, no doubt. "Well, let's just say that they're in for quite the surprise the next time they transform." He said with a wicked grin.

"What do you mean? Who do you work for?" She demanded.

"Why don't you ask the wolves? I'm sure they would love to explain it to you."

"I'd rather have you tell me, right now. I don't want to kill you, but I will if you keep avoiding my question." She warned. "That's a promise." She added.

He laughed at her. "I'm old my dear, I have lived a life and if today's the end of it, then that's fine by me." He stretched out his arms. "So you might as well get it over with, for I will speak no more."

Serana looked at him with skeptical eyes. "Should we let him go?" She asked Khara, she could tell that this man didn't have much goodness in his old and worn heart. Perhaps ending his life would be for the best? It would certainly be the safest action.

Khara looked into his eyes. "No, he doesn't care if he dies or not. Men like that are the most dangerous. And besides-" She let her Blade run through his chest and all the air in his lungs escaped through the new whole. "I gave him my word." She placed a hand on his shoulder as she pulled the Blade out.

He fell to the ground and choked on his blood. "Clever woman, if you want to stay alive, then I advise you to forget about this whole conversation, girl. Or it'll be the end of you both…" His words turned into slurred nothings as his eyes turned lifeless.

Khara looked down to the corpse and nodded to herself. "I think we need to go to Whiterun, or I do at least…" She turned around. "I want to get to the bottom of this, I need to see the Companions. By the way he spoke of them, I feel that something bad is about to happen." Khara swallowed as she calmed her heart. "You can come if you want, but I don't know how this will play out. We might be done with it in Whiterun, or it might turn out to be something much bigger."

Serana knew what the wolf meant, but Serana wasn't about to let the wolf travel all on her own. "Khara, I'm with you. We should probably hurry and get to Whiterun, who knows what his _coven_ did." Serana turned around and they walked out the cave. "In situations like these it's best to expect the worst. And if the worst doesn't happen, then everything else will be a nice surprise." Serana said as they moved.

Khara smiled. "Wise words. Now, let's get this done." They made their way towards Falkreath in hope to catch a carriage that would take them straight to Whiterun. Khara also made sure to remember to get some of the guards in the city to come and get the corpses of Valdr's fallen comrades.

* * *

"I did as you asked, now will you explain why I had to chain Vilkas and Farkas in the Underforge like they were common dogs?" Aela asked as she walked with Khara and Serana up to Jorrvaskr. She had received a letter from Khara mere hours ago, telling the woman what she needed to do. If anyone else would have told her to chain up the brothers, then she would have just laughed it off, but this was Khara, she didn't mess around with such things.

"I'll explain everything, let's just get to the Underforge. I can only imagine how angry the brothers are with me right now. " Khara said as they walked up some stairs before heading left. They went over to the entrance of the Underforge and entered it. Inside, one in each corner, were the brothers. They had chains on their legs and arms, chains that were firmly planted to the ground.

"Now look who blesses us with her presence." Farkas said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You do realize that the last few high thoughts we had about you faded when we were chained?" Vilkas said as he looked at the reason they were in their current situation.

Khara looked at the annoyed man. "I care little of what you think of me, Vilkas. If what I heard were true, then this is for the best." She told him, told everyone.

"And what did you hear?" Vilkas asked, trying to keep his calm unlike his brother.

"Not much, but you two were mentioned, along with a neat surprise which involved the full moon."

Farkas let out a deep laugh. "And that were enough for you to do _this_?" He flexed his arms, making the chains clink as they came in contact with one another.

"The words weren't that which caught my attention, the person that said them, on the other hand, did." Khara turned to look at Aela. "He said that these two-" She pointed to the brothers. "Tried to kill his masters not long ago, somewhere in Falkreath I think."

Aela sighed as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Farkas…" He winced over the tone of her voice, she was not pleased. "You said that you were doing a bounty to me, care to get something off your chest?" She looked at him, arms crossed as she tapped her foot.

He growled. "I tried to honor Kodlak's last wishes,-" He looked to his brother. "We both did."

Vilkas sighed and looked at Aela. "We tracked down the Glenmoril Coven, and when the time seemed right we made our move. It was all going well until we saw just how many people those hags have corrupted. There must have been at least twenty of them in there, we had no choice, we had to retreat."

The word _retreat_ did not sit well with Farkas. "Oh, we could have taken them." Farkas almost yelled at his brother.

Aela shook her head and looked at Vilkas with unimpressed eyes. "I'm even surprised that you were in on this, Vilkas." She told him, he was supposed to be the smarter one of the two.

He looked at her, and with honesty filled in his words he spoke. "What could I do? The fool didn't listen to me, he would have gone with or without me…" Vilkas looked to his brother once more. "He might be an idiot, but he is still my brother." His words caused Farkas to lower his head.

Serana moved a little closer to Khara when Farkas suddenly released a low and long growl. He started to shake his head every now and then. Vilkas looked at him before he too copied his brother's actions.

"Stand back." Aela warned them. The three women moved to the back of the room as the brothers transformed into their beast forms. And when they were finally out of their mortal vessels and in their wolf forms, they looked at the women and tried to get to them. They roared and they howled as they tried to get closer, the chains on their wrists making blood appear due to the amount of strength they used in their movements. "Have they lost their minds?" Aela asked with shock as she saw her two fellow Companions looking back at her with pure hatred in their red eyes.

"No, they've lost the bond with their aspects." Khara said as she could no longer see Farkas or Vilkas, no…All she saw were savage, mindless beast, just like she had back in the cave not long ago. Whatever this was, it was connected to the masters of that mage, The Glenmoril Coven.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara:** Zeymah. – **Brother.**

 **Odahviing:** Krosis. – **Sorry.**

Briinah. – **Sister.**

Geh **. – Yes.**

 **Khara:** Daar tinvaak, hi dahmaan nii? – **This language, you remember it?**

 **Serana:** Geh zu'u dahmaan nii. – **Yes I remember it.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I had some trouble with how I was going to do this whole _Serana lost her memories oh nooo!_ thing. But as I wrote about them getting to Falkreath I got an idea which would lead us to the Companions. I'll focus a but more on it in the next chapter I think, some things will happen then that will force Khara to reveal something to Serana, but I'm not sure what yet, but I'll get there!

Now, last night I did some brainstorming and boy did it turn out good! I've made three new questlines with this one included, and they're pretty good I think. They may not be on the level my Dark Brotherhood questline were, (I was very proud over that one by the way.) but I think they could be good, like really good. I've already written some part of it, like characters, dialog and such. I'm just excited is all.

As, all in all, I didn't feel like much happened in this chapter, it serves more like a bridge to our next questline if that makes sense. I also didn't write all that much about the girls' feelings in this, but I simply couldn't find a good time to do it without it feeling forced.

I got a good feeling that the next chapters will be good though, we'll see.

Have a great day my fantastic beasts!

-Zep


	34. Chapter 34

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 34_

 _The Curse of the Companions_

He slowly opened his eyes, his shirt had been completely torn from what had just happened. The ground felt cold against his skin and his chest were moving too fast as it desperately tried to fill his lungs with some much-needed air. He was sweating, he was shaking and blinking his eyes, trying to grasp what had just happened. Because everything around him told the man that he had just transform back from his wolf form but yet…He had no memories of his transformation.

He placed both hands on the ground next to his head and got up on his knees. He then felt the chains that were holding him in place. He noticed how they felt like fire around his wrists and ankles, how his abused skin screamed out in pain as he moved. He was struggling to catch his breath as he slowly stood up on his feet. He looked to his side and spotted his brother being in the same state as he was.

He then looked over to the entrance of the Underforge and were met with the terrified eyes of Aela. She looked at him like he were a monster, she looked truly scared of him, but he didn't know why. What had he done to deserve such scared eyes looking back at him? He wet his lips and opened his mouth. "W-what happened?" Vilkas asked. This was the first time in many years that he weren't able to remember his transformation, and it scared him.

"You don't remember?" Aela asked him as she carefully stepped closer to the man. He shook his head and looked to his brother once more. "You transformed, you both did. But those beasts weren't you…"

Farkas grunted as he got on his knees. "Those witches, they…They cursed us." He growled.

Aela looked at him in disbelief. "What? Don't speak nonsense now-"

"He's right." Khara interrupted her. "What else could it be?" She said when Aela turned to her. "They're witches, they deal with magic. It might very well be a curse." She told her.

"They're so much more than that." Vilkas said. It was time to explain. "These witches aren't just anyone, they were the ones that gave us the ability to transform. They're Hircine worshippers, and through them we gained the Blessings of the Huntsman. They gave it to us, so they could just as easily take it, _change_ it." He said as he held out his hand for Aela. "Until the next full moon, we won't call upon the wolf within again. We can't." Aela walked over to him and began removing the chains.

"What do you plan on doing then?" Khara asked him.

Everyone on the room already knew what he was about to say. "We need to break this curse, and unless any of you have any plans, then I suggest we kill em'."

Aela shook her head. "Because that worked out so well the last time you tried, didn't it?" Aela said as she moved over to Farkas.

Vilkas grunted before turning to Aela. "We have information now, we know their numbers, the location of the cave. It would be foolish _not_ to attack, Aela."

She walked up to him, right up to his face as she challenged him. "And how many of us are you willing to let fall in order to fix this problem, the problem that you and your brother caused?" She growled.

"Who is to stop the witches to spread their wicked magic then? Who will make sure they don't throw this curse on others?" He said back.

"He has a point, Aela. The mages of the coven have already used their magic on wolves." Khara said as she looked at the two. "We know of them and what they are capable of, that leaves us with a responsibility." Khara said as she looked at the Huntress.

Aela envied the woman, her words were always filled with wisdom and truth. She looked to the side as she took a step back. "I apologize brother." She patted Vilkas on his shoulder before walking to the side. "I see your point, but how are we to deal with them? They outnumber us and with their magic, I don't dare even think to summon my wolf to help us."

"But I can." Khara said, they all looked at her. "I wasn't given this blessing by anyone else but Hircine himself, I cannot be cursed for they have no power over me nor my aspect."

"And how can you know that for sure?" Farkas asked her.

She looked at the man. "Because I trust in my wolf, and I trust Hircine's words to be true."

Farkas got on his feet and slowly walked over to his brother's side. "You have spoken with the Huntsman of the Princes?" He asked confused.

"Yes, of course I have. I was given the blood of the wolf from him after having gained his favor." Khara explained to them. She then realized that she had never said it to them before… _Must have slipped my mind._ "Anyways that's not important right now, we need to figure out what to do here." She pressed on.

"You're right, but what are we to do then?" Aela asked her.

Vilkas stepped forth. "We have to attack, we have no choice. For some of us it might be our last fight, but is that not what being a Companion is all about? To fight our enemies and those who would seek to harm us and the ones we care about. To protect what is ours from those who would see it destroyed?" His little speech inspired them all.

"By Ysgramor, you're right!" Aela praised as she walked over to the exit of the little hideout. "Meet me in the dining hall, I will gather the other members of the Circle." And with that she left them.

Farkas walked up to Khara and looked into her eyes. "You're with us?" He asked.

Khara turned her head and looked at Serana, their eyes held each other for what felt like hours to the wolf. Serana gave her a nod, letting the wolf know that Serana would come if she did. She looked back to Farkas and offered him a nod. "We're with you." She confirmed.

"Good." He huffed before walking out himself.

Vilkas then walked up to them and opened the secret entrance for them. "I speak for both myself and my brother when I say this, _thank you._ This won't be easy, so I'm glad that you'll be with us." They walked into the hall and surprisingly Aela had already managed to find the other members.

Serana slowly made her way closer to Khara and whispered. "Did I know them?" Her voice was so very low, even Khara almost didn't hear it. Her voice came out lower than she planned due to the comfortable warmth she now felt, it surprised her.

Khara turned her head slightly. "No, you met some of them, but I wouldn't call them friends." Serana nodded and created some more space between them. She couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the wolf for a few seconds, because this feeling felt familiar to her, but she didn't know why, she didn't understand it. She were interrupted when Aela clasped her hands together, successfully gaining everyone's attention. All of the ones in the hall were members of the Circle, only the ones who knew of the beast blood.

"Listen up! When Kodlak still walked these halls, the old man had one last wish, he wanted to be free from his wolf aspect. He wanted to go to Sovngarde, but he never got his wish. The ones who have the power and understanding of how to make his wish come true are in Skyrim, and we know of their location." She looked around on her fellow members, they all looked at her. "Not long ago, Vilkas and Farkas thought that they should be the ones that fulfilled Kodlak's wish, but due to the amount of hostiles, they weren't able to do so. And now they carry a curse, a curse that can just as easily become ours too. So my question to you is the following…Will you march with me to the cave of those witches? Will you fight for the honor of Kodlak's memory, and will you fight to help me rid this filth off of Skyrim? Will you do what honor demands and take arms against our enemies?" Her voice came out strong and even. Her tone heightened when needed and became lower when she looked around the room. The truth was that Aela were incredible with her speeches, she knew what to say in order to make inspiration grow within the hearts of her allies. "Will you do this for me? For Kodlak!" She roared and her shout were united with the cheers of the others, they were with her. Vilkas patted her shoulder as he too were proud of her speech and her strength.

"Ready yourselves, get your best armor, your sharpest swords and your strongest shields. We'll leave soon." Vilkas told his fellow members, and they did as he told them.

Khara walked up to Aela and spoke. "Where did you plan we stay while in Falkreath?" She asked.

Aela looked at her. "I'm sure we could get some rooms in the local tavern."

Khara could see why she said that, but she had a better idea. To have so many of them in a couple of rooms weren't good for any of them. And they're plans would be hard to keep a secret from the locals. "How about we use my manor as our base of operations while doing all this. There is plenty of space, and alchemy lab, kitchen, you name it."

Aela looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You would offer us your home?" She didn't see that one coming.

"Aye, it's in a good location. And I doubt that we'll be able to strike this coven right away. We would have to weaken it, attack smaller camps and try to make their numbers diminish." Khara said as she continued to think about possible location for where the mages and other followers of this coven could be hiding. "I also know of a person who might be able to help us with locating members of this group."

Aela looked at her with a smile and patted Khara on the shoulder. "Thank you, this kindness will not be forgotten. Where is this place?" She asked.

"Just north from Pinewatch, you know of it?" Pinewatch may not be known to all, but she knew that Aela had been in the Pine Forest many times before as she knew how much the woman liked to hunt there.

Aela nodded, she had traveled past that house a few times in the past. "I do, if you want you can head out and we'll meet there." She offered.

Khara nodded, because if she were to spend a lot of time with the Companions, then she would like to have time to herself before that happened. "Sounds good." Aela offered her a smile before walking over to the others and preparing herself too for the little trip.

* * *

"But how is it that you can just go down to the Guild without people getting suspicious of you? Surely some one have spotted you going down there before." Serana pointed out, they were talking about the Thieves Guild again.

"The entire population of Riften think that I am keeping the Guild in line, so to say. A short time after I became Guildmaster, I was summoned to the Jarl's keep. I convinced her that the Guild should pay back what they have stolen from the hold, and the Jarl agreed. The few people who knows of the Guild thinks that they are simply treasure hunters these days and that they have given up on stealing, but that isn't entirely true." Khara explained as they walked through the forest. "I made a rule, no one is to steal from the city of Riften no more, and so far we have managed to follow that rule. Not many knows that I am the leader, they simply think that I am the one who make sure they follow the law."

Serana narrowed her eyes. "But they still steal from others?"

"Aye, they do. But we don't steal from just anyone, we mostly target the more wealthy families in Skyrim. You know, people who won't notice if a neckless or an old heirloom goes missing. In most cases we just return stolen items back to their original owners." Khara explained.

"Isn't there a story of a man who did that? Who took from the rich and gave to the poor? The Hooded Man I think the legend is called." Serana wondered as she could remember and old tale spoken to her long ago, it was a children's tale.

"Never heard of it, but yeah, in some cases that is what the Guild does." They began walking past Pinewatch and got closer to Khara's manor. They took the final steps needed before Khara unlocked the door to her home in the forest. It felt good to be in a place of her own again, yet also difficult as the memories of her last stay here entered her mind. The last time she had been here, she and Serana had shared her bed and done acts so intimate that it caused her aspects to whimper at the mere memory.

She needed something to weaken her thoughts, because she didn't know for how long she would be able to keep her heart calm and her breathing even. _Ale, wine perhaps?_ She walked into the kitchen and as she were about to open a barrel, her aspects reminded her of something she had gotten from Delvin a while back, something that should make all her worries fade away, or so the thief had told her.

She walked over to a table and opened a jar, sure enough the pipe and dried herbs were still there. She grabbed it and walked back out to the dining area. Serana was already starting a fire when Khara sat down and got the pipe ready for use. She did as the old man had told her, she put the dried leaves in the pipe and carefully lit it. She then slowly brought it to her lips and inhaled. _Oh, what in the name of Talos is this?_ She coughed like mad and placed the thing that had caused her this on the table. Now, she had never done this before and her lungs reminded her of that fact when it felt like they were on fire.

Serana turned around to look at what the wolf had done this time. When she saw Khara looking at the pipe with unsureness in her eyes, Serana released a small laugh. "I take it you haven't tried that before?" She asked amused as she walked over and leaned back on the table.

"No…But I've always been curious. Have you?" Khara asked.

Serana only grinned. "May I?" She asked as she nodded to the pipe.

"Knock yourself out." Khara said as she was still clearing her throat every now and then.

Serana took the pipe and placed it between her lips, with ease she inhaled. When it was time to exhaled she managed to make small smoke circles, which made the wolf look at her with wide eyes. When Serana was done with her little smoke show she handed the pipe back to Khara with a smug look on her face.

Khara took the pipe whilst looking at Serana. "You've done this before, haven't you?" Khara asked.

"Maybe once or twice." She said with a smile. There used to be so many traders who came to their island, sometimes a Khajiit merchant would bring little gifts to Serana since she used to buy books and rare ingredients off him. That and it wasn't rare that she would _borrow_ her father's pipe at times.

After a little while, Khara finally managed to inhale fully without almost dying, and that was also the same time when the herbs' effect started to make itself known. Her words came with ease, she didn't overthink them nor did she pay them much mind at all.

Serana took notice of this, and with some questions still in mind, she simply took advantage of the given situation. "So what did we normally do before we went to do this whole Azura's Star task?"

Khara huffed with a smile. "It'll be easier to ask what we _didn't_ do." She said with a chuckle, this pipe thing was a wonderful idea. "But we stopped darkness to fall on Tamriel, we prevented the Empire's fall…" Khara began to feel tired and slowly let her head rest upon her arms that were on the table now. "We were unstoppable."

Serana looked at her intently. "So, we were good friends then?"

"Friends?" Khara's eyes were stuck on the wall. "Yeah, we were friends." Those blue eyes started to glow brighter as sadness entered her eyes. Khara had loosened her armor while they smoked and by the way she was currently sitting, Serana could see a mark on the woman's shoulder, a vampire's mark.

Serana's eyes widened, it all made sense now, why Khara seemed so quiet and sad at times. Here she was, forced to be with Serana, helping her regain her memories when she probably wanted to be with her partner instead. It explained the woman's eyes being stuck on thin air at times, why her sentences were short and quick, why she seemed so distracted. But…Wait, who was it that turned Khara again?

She was about to ask Khara who it was, who it was that had earned the wolf's trust, her heart, but she were denied that when someone knocked on the door. Serana acted on old habit when she quickly grabbed the pipe and hid it, like she were afraid of someone finding out, she then shook her head at herself.

Khara got up from her seat. She opened it and were met with the pleasant face of Farkas, probably the one man who disliked her the most out of all the members of the Companions. "Farkas." She greeted the man who only grunted as he walked past her and directly into the kitchen, he was most likely on the hunt for some beverages, Khara couldn't blame him.

As the rest of the crew entered her home, Aela stopped by her side and spoke. "Right, Vilkas, Farkas, Brand, Linreth, Athis and Njada." She told Khara as she pointed to each and every member. "I would have gathered more, but these are the members of the Circle."

"I understand, it's best that few people know of the beast blood." If Aela had gathered all of the Companions, then too many people would know about their secret, about their blessing of Hircine.

"Agreed. I'll get them to settle down, anywhere you don't want us?" Aela asked, she could see that Khara weren't all that comfortable with having the brothers in her house.

The wolf thought about it. "I'd like to have the second floor to myself."

Aela nodded, it was more than reasonable. "Of course, I'll make sure they keep their noses away."

"Alright, while you do that, I'll go and see if I can't find an old friend of mine, she lives in these woods, she might have useful information." She thought of Angi, because she couldn't think of anyone else who knew the hold of Falkreath better than that woman.

"Good idea, we'll go over what Vilkas and Farkas managed to see in their brief time in that cave." Aela walked over to the table and started talking with the Dunmer, Athis.

Khara walked over to Serana, as she thought that she probably wanted to go with her instead of staying here with a bunch of strangers. "Would you like to accompany me to the mountains? Or do you wish to stay here with-"

"You're not leaving me alone with these wolves, I'm coming with." Serana interrupted her as she quickly made her way over to the door. Khara chuckled over Serana's actions and followed the woman.

"What's the matter? Not a fan of the smell of dogs?" She taunted.

"I don't know how you stand it, really. Why don't you smell the same?" Serana said as she could finally fill her senses with the fresh forest air.

"Perks of being Lord Hircine's favorite, I guess." Khara said with a laugh as they made their way down to Pinewatch. They found an open patch of ground and Khara looked to the skies. _This will do._ "OD AH VIING!" The shout reached the skies and so the only thing left to do was to wait.

They sat down by a fallen tree whilst they waited for Odahviing to answer their call. There were space between them, but Serana could still feel the warmth to her side. She didn't understand it, her body were calm, yet her mind were racing. Did her body remember something that her mind could not? And if so, why did it act the way it did around the wolf?

She tried not to think to much about it, because the more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She rose her gaze to the night sky above, she let the few lights she could see past the heavy clouds calm her and grab her attention. The darkened clouds that carried promises of rain made it hard to see the beams that move above them.

Khara turned her head and saw the look on Serana's face, she too noticed the clouds above. She could do this for the woman, she could make her see the night sky with no barriers between their eyes and those lights. "Lok vah koor." This weren't a shout that needed force behind it, this wasn't a shout that were created to cause harm to others. It was a simple, yet complex shout, it was one of the few delicate Words of Power. And because her shout didn't have as much force behind it, didn't have as much strength, it only made a little chunk of the clouds disappear. But when Khara saw that small wonderful smile on Serana's lip, she knew that it was more than enough.

They could see the moon currently sitting on its throne, at the highest point in the sky as the lights danced around it. "You once told me that this was your favorite, to see the moon along with the northern lights." Her voice came out almost as gently as her shout had. Her words were soft, filled with care and… _Affection?_ Serana turned to look at the wolf, because those words were the most tender words she had yet to hear from the woman.

"When did I say that?" Serana asked as she turned her head back to the sky.

Khara smiled at the memory. They had just gotten to Riften, it was the very same they when they shared their first kiss, it was a good memory, one that Khara would carry with forever. "A while back, a little after you came to Whiterun to find me."

Serana nodded as she too smiled. "I'm surprised that you remember that, wasn't that ages ago?" She was distracted by the sight above her, she didn't pay much mind to her words, but it seemed like Khara was under the same spell.

"I could never forget." Khara whispered. Serana's eyes widened the tiniest bit over her words, she then turned to look at Khara. _We messed up! Quickly, think of something!_ Her wolf aspect howled in panic as it ran in circles within her mind. "I mean, that day there were this huge party at the Flagon with the Guild." Khara chuckled to make her words seem more real, more true. "It was chaos, I tell you, drinks and plates flew through the air." _Keep calm, breathe._

Serana looked at her for a moment longer before smiling as well. "Your friends sure know how to celebrate, don't they?"

"Aye, that they do. There is no party like the ones the Guild throws." She avoided eye contact like her life depended on it. Her words may have come out strong and confident, but her eyes would reveal the truth, she knew they would. These, _these_ _lies_ were beginning to increase in weight and in numbers, the wolf didn't know if there were room for any more.

Khara was saved from running her mouth further when Odahviing blessed them with his presence. "I apologize for the delay, I was hunting."

Khara rose and walked over to him. "And how did your hunt go?"

He chuckled before answering. "My stomach is full, there is your answer." He answered proudly as he lowered himself to the ground. He looked at Serana and flashed his teeth at her, smiling in his own charming way. "Drem yol lok, Serana. It has been too long since our last meeting." He said as he turned to look at Khara.

"It has, I'm glad to see you, Odahviing." Serana said as she looked at Khara, who only nodded and smiled at her, letting her know that she didn't need to say anything else.

Serana saw how Khara mounted Odahviing and so she copied the wolf's actions. As Khara and Odahviing spoke with each other, Serana carefully got up on his back as well. There were some spikes here and there, so Serana was forced to sit directly behind the wolf.

She should have expected the sudden move, but she didn't. Her arms flew around Khara as they needed something to hold on to. " _Gods…_ " She muttered as they left the ground behind.

Khara laughed as she patted Odahviing's back. "Easy, zeymah, we are in no hurry, it isn't that far." Her only reply from the dragon were a deep chuckle. _Did he do that on purpose? But he doesn't know,_ Khara thought to herself, she hadn't told the dammed lizard about Serana's condition. _You should give us dovah more credit, young one,_ her dragon aspect said amused.

Meanwhile right behind the wolf, Serana was still holding the woman with her arms. She didn't need to, they were flying straight now, but Serana could yet again feel that warmth, that comfortable heat. Her mind told her to let the poor woman go, but her heart said something else entirely. And something happened inside her mind, a memory, no…She could remember a conversation.

The words she heard were faint and distant, but she still heard them. _"How are you feeling?"_ That, that sentence felt good. It felt really good. _How does a sentence feel good?_

More words, from someone else this time. _"I'm good, great actually. And you?"_ The voice were clearly different, it almost sounded like… _Like me?_

Serana's stomach fluttered over the following words. _"Can't complain really."_ She remembered a smile, a very beautiful smile. Wait, it sounded like it was Khara, a very happy version of the wolf by the tone of her voice.

" _I liked the Flagon and your Guild members, it was fun."_ Were they talking about the party Khara mentioned right before Odahviing arrived? They must have been talking about it, what else could it be?

" _We'll be back there by the end of the day."_ And here comes that feeling again, what is this?

" _Can't wait."_ Can't wait, those words were the last, the final ones.

Serana opened her eyes, she didn't even realize that she had closed them. She then also noticed that she was still holding around Khara, but that weren't enough, she was holding the wolf tighter this time, and she had eliminated the little space that were between them.

Khara turned her head a little. "You alright?"

 _Am I alright?_ Truth was that now she were even more confused than before. She turned her focus on the current task though, she needed to explain why she was pretty much hugging Khara's back. "It's just a little cold is all." _That's a good reason, right?_

"Oh? Is there something wrong with the enchantment on your cloak?" The wolf asked, a little worried that the enchantment weren't strong enough and that they were fading.

 _Crap,_ Serana closed her eyes, trying to summon all of her brain capacity to find another excuse, one a little believable this time. "Okey, I lied. I'm scared of heights." If her arms weren't too busy holding around Khara then she would have slapped herself. Speaking of arms, why were they still around the wolf?

Khara released a small laughed as she patted Serana's arm. "We'll land soon, don't worry."

When she saw that Khara didn't care all that much, and that the wolf did indeed fall for her little lie, she finally calmed down. To be completely honest, Serana felt good. This whole situation felt so incredibly good for her. She gently placed her forehead against Khara's back, eyes wide open as her heart began speeding up for what seemed like the hundredth time over the last few days whenever she were close to the wolf. The feeling in her stomach moved up to her chest and began to grow rapidly, she didn't understand.

Khara's senses were on overdrive, the feeling of having Serana this close again after so many days felt beyond amazing, but the wolf were ashamed of the feelings inside her chest. Serana didn't know, she didn't remember. But what could she do? The poor woman was simply afraid of the fall, she only needed to hold on to something and Khara just happened to be that something. It meant nothing, Khara repeated those words in her mind, _it meant nothing_. She didn't need to make Serana any more confused, she couldn't. But it seemed like her body were making up its own mind because her hand slowly crept closer to Serana's arm. She didn't have her gauntlets on as is hang from her belt, and when her hand came in contact with Serana's arm, it carefully moved towards the woman's wrist. Khara felt that feeling one gets when something incredibly good or absolutely horrible is about to happen. Every so slowly her fingers came in contact with Serana's cool skin.

The wolf was terrified, what in Oblivion was she thinking? Friends didn't to this, did they? She sure have never been touched like this by any of the members of the Guild, that's for sure. If Brynjolf had done this to her she was sure she would have kicked the man's most valued assets. But then…Then _this_ happened…She felt Serana's head move a little to the side, but still remained against her back and for her arms, they were still firmly around her. _She thinks I am comforting her! Oh, thank Talos, Kynareth, father Akatosh! Thank the Nine!_ Khara praised in her head as her eyes were as wide as possible. She let out a breath as she saw that they were getting closer to Angi's camp, their location.

Odahviing landed, careful not to hit anything as he did so. Khara patted Serana's arm. "There we go, safe and sound."

Serana released a rehearsed chuckle as she removed her arms and got off of the dragon. She busied herself with looking around at this new location. There where practice marks everywhere, all of them had arrows firmly placed in the middle of them. It was clear that whoever lived here were an excellent archer.

"Shall I stay close, briinah?" Odahviing asked Khara as she too got off his back. "Will you have further need of my akk, my help?"

"No, zeymah, we can manage from here on." She told him with a smile.

"Very well, stay safe and stay true, be brave." He looked deeply into Khara's eyes as he spoke. She narrowed her eyes on him but couldn't question his words due to him already flying away. _Dammed lizard._

"Should have guessed that it was you, I don't normally have guests, even rarer that they come on dragon backs." Angi walked up to Khara and smiled.

"Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Khara said as she greeted the woman.

"It sure has. Since you're here and still very much alive and sane, as far as I can tell, I take it the scroll reading went well?" Angi asked as she nodded a greeting to Serana who were walking up to them now. The vampire offered the woman a smile. _Great, another person I don't remember._ "So what is it this time then?" Angi asked.

Khara chuckled as she began walking with Angi over to her hut. "We're with the Companions this time, we need to deal with a coven of witches, the Glenmoril Coven they call themselves, but we don't know how many camps their followers have set up in the forest. And so we come to you, you know these woods. Know of any camps of mages or any other magic wielding folk?" She asked.

"I may know of a few, I also know of someone who have fought them and lived." She said as they all sat down by a table.

"You do?" Khara asked, it would be useful to have someone with them who knew of the coven fought, knew of their spells and magic.

"Aye, there is a castle east if here, Bloodlet Throne they call it. There used to be a whole clan of vampires there, but from what I've heard, only one remains, a man." Angi told them as she grabbed her map, she knew of two other locations as well.

"Maybe we should pay this vampire a visit." Khara said.

"I'd advise against it, everyone who have entered that place have always came running back, and some didn't return at all."

Why? One vampire shouldn't be all that difficult to deal with, and besides, Khara only wanted to speak with whoever it was. "But there is just one vampire there, how dangerous can it be?"

Angi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Khara, they're rumors, they might be true, they might be false, who knows. All I've heard is that it's dangerous to go there." Angi stood up from her seat and walked over to her hut. "Be right back."

Serana looked at the wolf and narrowed her eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

She shared her thoughts, something that she didn't do too often with the woman these days. "That Bloodlet Throne is worth visiting."

Serana nodded to her. "You want us to go there?" She asked.

Khara shook her head. "No, I want you to stay here and get the rest of the information from Angi while I head on over there."

"Didn't you hear her? It's dangerous, I'm coming with you." Why were they even discussing this?

Khara leaned closer to Serana and looked into her eyes. "I made a promise to your mother, Serana. Now if this vampire is as dangerous as Angi says, then it's best if I go there alone and see if I can't talk with him. I don't want to spook the man and besides, if you're here getting the information from Angi then we save time, we'll be more efficient that way." Her eyes softened as they continued to look into orange ones. She shouldn't let them keep this contact for long, but she needed Serana to see her and to hear her words. "You haven't slept since we left Volkihar, you haven't had anything to drink. You aren't at your full strength due to that dammed Boneman, and I can't have that on my conscience if you get hurt while under my protection."

Serana continued to hold Khara's gaze, but she felt something within her weaken as those blue-glowing orbs looked back at her, she couldn't deny the wolf her wish, not this time. She sighed and their eyes moved away from each other. "Only this once." She said with defeat.

Khara nodded. "Only this once, I promise. When we get back to the manor I'll give you something to drink." Khara offered with an apologetic smile. She wanted Serana to come, but for all the wrong reasons. After their short ride with Odahviing, her aspects were eager to _feel_ more, and she did too, but she couldn't allow it. She needed some time alone to get her thoughts in order.

Angi came back out to them and placed a few more papers on the table along with her map. She looked to Khara who were getting ready for heading out to this castle. "You're leaving?"

Khara made sure her crossbow were loaded, just in case. "Yeah, I need to see what this vampire knows about the coven."

"You can show me the locations and tell me what you know in the meanwhile." Serana offered Angi as she moved closer to the papers.

Angi nodded, it worked for her. "Yeah, alright." She then looked at Khara again. "It's not that far, the castle that is, probably only twenty minutes away, just follow the path and you'll see it." Angi informed her.

"Thanks, I'll be back soon." She nodded to Angi before turning her attention to Serana. She offered the woman a small smile before turning around and heading for Bloodlet Throne. As the distance between them increased, she felt more at ease. All this acting were going to be the death of her.

As she were told, Khara followed the path. And as she were lost in thought as per usual, she felt like she got there a little too soon. The place looked old and had been battered and beaten by the weather that Skyrim were so famous for. She walked up to the main entrance and opened the door, surprised that it weren't locked.

She was met with an open room which were quite large in size. And when her eyes landed on the middle of the back of the room, she were met with two glowing eyes. She made sure to keep her hands away from her weapons as she slowly approached the man.

"So, they've sent someone to finish the job now, have they?" The man asked, he weren't all that old, but not really young either, he were somewhere in the middle. He sat on a throne, but his posture told her that he were ready to leap at her if needed.

"I've not come to finish anything, I simply wish to speak." Khara said as she slowly bent down to the ground and removed her weapons, all of them. _Be prepared to come forth if needed,_ she told her wolf aspect who growled, letting her know that it was ready. She saw how his eyes were stuck on her weapons.

He looked at her. "Bold move to drop your weapons, how do you know I won't draw mine?"

"Why do you think I need weapons to defend myself?" She made sure to use the word _defend_ , because she had no intentions of crossing blades with the man, and she wanted to show him that, with both actions and words.

He narrowed his eyes, this woman sure seemed odd. "Who are you, why are you here?"

"I'm Khara, I'm working with the Companions of Whiterun."

"Truly? Well, now that you mention it, you don't look like a mage, and certainly not a mercenary." He pointed out.

"I assure you that I'm neither, I'm here because of the Glenmoril Coven." Her words made him flinch.

"You dare speak that name here? In my home after what they did to my clan?" He growled at her. How dare she? They slaughtered his kin, his friends and allies. "I could take your head." He warned, venom dripping from his words as he spoke.

"How about you take _their_ heads instead?" She asked him.

He stood up from his seat and took a few steps closer to his stranger. "What is it you want? Why do you interrupt my grieving of my kin?"

"The witches have cast a curse over my allies, used their wicked magic on the wildlife in the hold and they are growing in numbers as we speak. They need to be dealt with."

"Then why are you wasting your time here then? Why aren't you killing those fiends?"

"Because we need help, information, _anything_. We need to know what we're up against."

He looked at her and shook his head. "You wish for me to tell you of them? Of their magic and their twisted ways, is that it?" He turned around and looked to the ground. "I've lost everything I held dear, and I fear that my time on Nirn will soon be over, if the coven doesn't kill me then I'm sure the Jarl will send men my way soon."

 _He fears death._ "What if I offered you safety? You help me and in return I help you."

He turned his head. "You would make a deal with a _vampire_?" He had done things, horrible things that could not so easily be forgotten.

 _He think he's a monster_. "I would make a deal with a _man_."

He turned around and suddenly he were right before her. He looked deeply into her eyes and spoke. "Not many would dare wander into a dark and forgotten place knowing of who dwells within." He whispered. "Even fewer would offer the dweller a deal like this, so what is it that makes you think that you could offer me anything even mildly tempting?"

"Focus your senses." She told him. "You can feel it, can't you? You can see what I am?" His facial expression changed as he took a step back, his eyes wandered over her face.

"Vampire?" He said, unsure of what else she could mean.

"Yes, I carry the blood of clan Volkihar." His eyes widened. "And I _can_ offer you safety." He could stay at Fort Dawnguard, he could right his wrongs there while under the protection of fellow night dwellers.

He had questions and she held the answers. After having revealed what she was and who she were with, he became more and more interested. She told him of the Dawnguard, who they were and what they did. She told him that he could start paying for his crimes by serving as a Dawnguard, because she could see that he held regret in his eyes.

And so here they were, she offered him the deal one last time. "I was once told that the enemy of my enemy are my friend, so…What say you?" If he wanted nothing to do with her, then that was fine and she wouldn't hold it against the man. She would leave him to live out his numbered days in his castle, hidden away in the hills.

But he then looked at her, and ever so slowly a smile crept onto his lips, she knew his answer.

* * *

"I believe that Cracked Tusk Keep and Knifepoint Ridge are under control by the members of the Glenmoril Coven. The keep is located here,-" She pointed to the location on the map for Serana to see. "And Knifepoint is here." She showed that one too on the map.

"Looks like it'd be easier to attack Knifepoint." Serana said as she watched over Angi's notes of the place.

"Aye, you'd be right. The keep is about ready to fall, it's defenses have all crumbled, but they might have reinforced it by now, probably just some poorly made wooden walls in that case." Angi then leaned back in her seat as she took a sip of her drink. "So, how have you two been since last we spoke?"

Serana chuckled. "I couldn't tell you, not long ago we found ourselves in a realm of Oblivion, and I lost all of my recent memories." It sounded like a bad joke, the way it rolled off her tongue.

The archer choked on her drink. "You're serious?" Angi asked as she leaned closer.

"Afraid so." Serana said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I can only imagine how it feels." Serana saw that Angi were a pretty good person in that moment. "Is it permanent?"

"We don't know yet, time will tell I guess." Serana said as she looked down at hands.

"Hey-" Angi nodded to her. "I know that Khara can be a little difficult to talk with at times. So, want to get something off your chest while you still can?" She offered the vampire with a kind smile.

Serana huffed up a laugh as she nodded, that sounded real good to her. "Truth be told, I'm angry. Every last person I've met over the last day or so have been complete strangers, yet they greet me by name."

"And how do you deal with that anger?" Angi asked as she took another sip from her cup.

Serana clasped her hands together. "I keep it to myself, there isn't much else to do."

"That's dangerous, letting it build up within you without letting it go, letting it out." She looked to her side and enjoyed the view from her camp. "You know, I used to live in Helgen, before it was burned to the ground."

"Did the dragon force you to move out here?" Serana asked her.

"I left Helgen before it came. No, I left because of all the people who kept saying they were sorry for my loss. I lost my family to two drunken Imperial soldiers. That is why I'm out here, I killed them, revenged my family. But because they were soldiers, I was the one who were to be punished by the law, so I ran and ended up here. For too long I aimlessly wander the woods, letting my anger get the better of me. I almost died because of it, because of my recklessness. So I guess that my point is that you shouldn't let anger make decisions for you, don't give it that power." Angi told her, she had been young and foolish, but with the years came knowledge and wisdom.

"It's a good advice, but I don't know how to make it so."

"Three simple things, Serana. Learn from the past, live in the present and trust in the future." Angi said as she got up from her seat to grab them both some more drinks.

Serana laughed, Angi should be paid by the hour due to her way with words. "Wait, what does that even mean?" She called after the woman.

"You'll figure it out when the time comes!" Angi yelled from somewhere within her little hut, successfully making Serana huff as she placed her hand on her chin, women were so complicated at times.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Other words:** Akk **. – Help.**

Dremyol lok **. – Greetings.**

Briinah **. – Sister.**

Zeymah **. – Brother.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Well I wrote this one quite quickly, didn't I? Hehe. Again, I have a pretty good idea of what to write about so I simply have to write down the words, that's it.

Right, so Brand and Linreth are custom characters as I felt like the mighty Companions needed a few more members. Angi, you've all met her before and she is in the game and the same goes for the vampire we met at Bloodlet Throne, I'll reveal his name in the next chapter if you're wondering what it is and maybe some lore about him, which will have to be non-canon because we aren't given all that information about him in the game, only a little, but if I do that, then I'll try to make it was lore friendly as possible.

We saw the girls have some more feelings to deal with in this chapter and the next one will most likely be the same. It's awkward for the both of them, and it looks like they're both afraid of being the one to reveal the truth behind their relationship or to even question it, at least that's what I think.

I also had to laugh over Angi's little therapy session with Serana, I saw how it looked after I was done writing it and I just found it too hilarious not to keep it in the chapter.

I'll start writing the next chapter soon, I just need to go over this one quickly and fix the many spelling mistakes that so often comes with writing too fast XD I'll catch you all in the next one, take care.

 **Thank you Rogueturtle for your idea, I think it worked our great!**

-Zep


	35. Chapter 35

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 35_

 _Uncovered_

Maybe it was the way he moved around the mages that did it, or perhaps it was the way he so easily dealt with them. The way he simply dodged their spells, evaded their swords and bypassed their defenses, it was impressive, truly. And the way he just changed, the way his eyes turned brighter at the mere sight of them, it was like he was both man and beast, both merged into one being. Because how he ran looked brutish, the way he grabbed his foes made her feel for the mages, the smile on his face as he ripped their throats open made her see what so many mortals saw when their eyes meet orange-glowing ones. She looked at a man yet saw a monster. And so she was so very glad that he was on their side.

"So, he was the one in Bloodlet Throne?" Serana asked Khara as she, the wolf and Angi simply stood to the side and watched Vighar deal with the mages at Cracked Tusk Keep. Her eyes were wide as she simply watched the man fly by them. By the look in the man's eyes, Serana could tell that he had a lot of anger within him, and he was currently working it out, releasing it on the poor mages.

Khara slowly nodded as her eyes followed Vighar's movements. She wanted to help, sort of, but the vampire had told her not to as he himself wanted to be the one to paint these stone walls with the blood of his enemies alone, and the tone in his voice when he had said so told Khara to let him have his wish.

They simply stood by as the man ripped limbs off of the mages within the keep. Screams of torment filled the stone halls as they heard Vighar fight his way deeper into the heart of the keep, into the very core of it. They had lost the count of different cries that could be heard, there were just too many to keep track of.

Now, normally Khara wouldn't let a vampire go absolutely psychotic while under her watchful eye, but this time was different. In a way, this was Vighar's way of healing, in a very twisted way, but a way nonetheless. She was just glad that the man turned his fangs to the mages and not her.

Suddenly a head rolled over to their feet and Angi took a step back. "I'm glad he's with us."

As her words faded into the now silent keep, Vighar came back into view, his face covered with blood. He gave them a wicked grin as he grabbed a rag from a nearby table and did his best to remove it. His breath was uneven, his clothes were ripped and shredded, but the man still stood strong. "Now then,-" He inhaled deeply before continuing. "You said there were another place we needed to clear out?" He asked Khara.

"Uh, yeah. Knifepoint Ridge, we're meeting the others there." She told him, a little shocked over how civil he suddenly seemed.

They had all agreed that after they were done with the smaller camps, that they should point their weapons at Glenmoril Coven's hideout right away. That way, no information of the other bases would have time to reach the Coven's ears and they would most likely be able to take the witches by surprise. A raven had been sent to Aela, and the Huntress had answered, they would meet soon and finish this once and for all.

"Good, good. Well, no point in standing here any longer then, is it? Let's get a move on." Again, the way he completely changed were fascinating, especially to Serana because she knew how it felt to be in a bloodlust, and she knew how hard it was to come back from it, it made her respect Vighar's strength and willpower, because it was impressive.

They moved out of the keep, trying to avoid the corpses as they did so, and when they were finally met with the cool fresh air once more, they headed over to Knifepoint Ridge.

They followed the mountains to the west as they walked, Knifepoint was close and it wouldn't take long before they got there. As time continued to pass, Khara looked to her side and spotted a dirt road which led into the mountains, she smiled a little of the memory of when she last traveled that road. For in that way laid Twilight Sepulcher, the place she had traveled to so long ago to return the Skeleton Key, that Mercer had stolen, back to Lady Nocturnal, back to where it belonged. She didn't know much about the Night Mistress, who she was and how she was, but for the brief time Khara had spoken to the Daedric Prince whose sphere is night and darkness, she had come to the conclusion that Nocturnal was a mystery, like the thing in the dark your eyes couldn't see what was. But she was curious, not afraid, because there was something so incredibly pure in the way the Night Mistress had spoken to her that made her feel, feel _safe_. So she wasn't afraid of the dark, of the night that came with the Daedric Prince, because she didn't fear the unseen thing within. Truth be told, her interaction with Nocturnal had been one of the more pleasant ones compared to the other Princes who she had traded words with.

"There they are." Angi said as she spotted the Companions.

Khara shook her head and focused her senses, she had been completely lost in thoughts for the entirety of their journey, she really should stop doing that.

Without any other words being spoken, the three women and Vighar walked up to the Companions. Farkas huffed as his eyes landed on one of the two new faces. "Found another bloodsucker, I see." His tone demanded punishment, or so the wolf within Khara said.

She walked past him, making her shoulder bump into his side as she did so, making him stumble back. "Watch it." She warned, not even letting her eyes fall to his.

Aela walked up to him and dismissed him, letting him walk back to his brother. "I apologize for Ice-Brains over there,-" She nodded to Farkas. "Ever since arriving to Falkreath, he's been complaining about his aspect, Vilkas too." Aela informed her.

"Well, as long as he keeps his distance and mouth shut, then there won't be a problem." Khara then turned to look at Vighar and Angi. "I got these two with me, they'll help us clean up this mess. This is Angi and Vighar, they both have dealt with the witches' minions before."

"Good, we'll take all the help we can get." Aela looked at her fellow members and nodded to herself. "Shall we start?" She asked Khara, and the wolf agreed. With their group's number came confidence and safety, there were strength in numbers after all.

They followed the path up to Knifepoint and when they saw a wooden tower, they movement stopped as a man spoke to them. "Halt! This mine has been taken over by me and my men, by the orders of the Jarl himself! State your name and business or you will taste steel!"

Khara turned her head to look at Aela, both women shared a quick look before Aela spoke. "We are the Companions, we have come here to deal with the rogue mages and witches who hide in these woods. We have come to deal with the Glenmoril Coven."

He nodded to her. "There be no magic wielding folk here. We killed the mages who lived here, there are none left." The man made his way down from his little tower and carefully stepped closer to the group.

"You're mercenaries?" Vilkas asked the man, and the man nodded.

"That's right, we were hired by the Jarl a few days ago. These mages had been disturbing the wildlife and taken the lives of too many hunters." The man looked behind him, to his friends. "I lost a few good men and women dealing with those bastards." His eyes met Aela's. "I'm glad that we're not the only ones out here dealing with them. If you want, you can use the camp and we can talk some more of the matter?" He offered.

"What's there to talk about?" Farkas asked him as he walked up to stand beside his brother.

"We're both after the same target here, might as well join forces, don't you think?" The man told the Companion.

"How about we talk first and decide later." Athis offered his fellow Companion. He then looked to Aela for support and confirmation.

The Huntress offered the elf a smile and a nod a she turned her attention back to the mercenary. "Let's talk then." Why charge into a place that were mostly filled with mages and witches that had a good understanding of the magical arts alone when they could have allies with them? It would be more efficient, safer for all, and also the obvious choice to take in the given situation. And these mercenaries had dealt with the mages before, they knew of how they fought and that information would prove most valuable.

Khara had little interest in the conversations that sparked between her allies in wolf armor and the mercenaries. She saw that Angi were discussing bows and arrows with a fellow archer by the range, she saw that Vighar sat for himself and prepared his body and mind for the battle to come, but…Where was Serana?

Knowing that the woman hadn't gotten far, she grabbed an unused cup from the table offered to them, which had drinks and food on it, and she set out to find the missing woman. Now she didn't know where to start looking, but that wasn't a problem. Ever since their ride with Odahviing, both her aspects and she herself felt the need for Serana's attention and touch increase, Khara simply followed the path set out to her by her feelings and aspects.

She walked past a few trees and walked over to a ledge. It was over watching the path that they had taken up here. It was a sight indeed, because due to the height they had climbed, they had a view over the tree tops all the way to the mountains and more. Khara looked to the east and due to the clear weather, she managed to see what little remained of Helgen.

Her eyes left the ruined town in favor of something else, someone else. With a few feet still between them, Khara quickly and with ease filled the cup with her blood before walking closer to Serana. She made sure to walk over a few branches to let the woman knew of her presence, she didn't want to spook her because it seemed like just like herself, Serana too was lost in thoughts.

She didn't turn around to greet the wolf, but she found the gesture to be kind. She knew Khara was coming, she could feel it, that warmth, but it didn't make the wolf's actions any less admirable. With her feet dangling in the wind, she noticed that something was placed next to her, it was a cup. And along with the cup came an explanation.

"Since we aren't going back to the manor just yet, I thought that you might be wanting this? You'll need your strength." The wolf said as she kept her eyes on the view in front of her.

Serana smiled, she was waiting for something from the wolf, but it never came. "You aren't going to try and make me stay behind this time?" She was almost sure Khara would try and make her stay here or go back to the manor, saying that it wouldn't be safe for her to come with.

Khara wanted to, she did. But her words had been promised, and so she must do what she can to keep it. "No, I made you a promise and I'll keep true to my word." This conversation felt so, so strange for her. There were no humor, no banter or eye contact. It wasn't like them, it wasn't like them at all.

Khara didn't know what else to say, what else to bring up. She decided to leave Serana to her drink, but the vampire weren't done with her just yet.

"There was this thing I wanted to ask you." Serana said, but she kept her silence for a few moments after the words had passed her lips. She heard how Khara leaned against a rock behind her and so she continued. She held the cup with nervous hands. She just needed Khara to answer this one question, because it had been bothering her for some time now. "Who turned you?" She asked, her voice was low and steady, yet filled with so much more.

Khara knew that she should probably stop staring at Serana's head at this point, but it was so hard _not_ to look. She felt how worried she suddenly became over those words, but as she was beginning to come up with an excuse, her aspects spoke to her and their words were simple yet heavy. _No more lies,_ they whispered in unison. She swallowed as she prepared herself to speak, to finally let Serana know _something_. "You did." Her muscles tightened as her whole body and mind prepared for the consequences of those two words.

 _You did,_ such simple words had never felt so heavy for her before. It didn't mean anything, it didn't. She sat a little sideways and so she could easily turn to look at Khara, but she didn't dare it, for she had more questions now. Things she needed to ask in order to make all of these feelings more understandable. If she had been the one to turn Khara, then it would explain some of what she felt, but not all. Because people got turned all the time, it happened, for all sorts of reasons. She just needed to know _their_ reason.

She needed to know the reason why she had been the one to sink her fangs into the neck of the woman behind her, she needed to know why it was her blood that was mixed with the wolf's, she needed to know why it happened. "Were you dying?" Vampirism had often been given to dying mortals, it was away to trick death, to avoid it. If they were as good friends as Khara had said, then she could see why she had turned the woman if there were no other way. She knew that she would have done it to save a friend from an early end, but when the wolf finally spoke, it only caused even more questions to surface.

"No." She didn't have any control left, her body were currently working on its own, her words were honest. She was so very tired of lying, of avoiding the truth. She didn't want to anymore, she only wanted Serana back.

Serana looked down to the cup as she suddenly found it very interesting. She didn't have the strength to look at Khara in this moment, it would probably cause her words to come out wrong, if they managed to come out at all. "Were you sick?" She asked, because maybe Khara had been bitten by something, maybe she had been poisoned by someone? Werewolves could still be inflicted by disease, could they not? Or were they immune to it? She couldn't remember, but it was no problem, for Khara answered her questions with one word again.

"No." Was Khara's answer again, her voice lower this time.

It meant nothing. The wolf had gotten hurt then, sliced with a blade or battered with a hammer. Something had caused Khara to have been cursed with a broken bone that didn't heal properly, or perhaps a leg that carried pain. It was possible, it was so very possible. "Injured?" She asked this time, unsure of what to say next if the wolf's answer remained the same.

And just like the other times, the wolf's answer didn't change. "No." _Tell her,_ her wolf begged. _Speak the truth,_ her dragon pleaded. _Make her remember,_ they cried together in her mind, but Khara was at a loss of words. What else could she say? What else were there to say? She didn't know, she didn't see. But she did decide on one thing, if Serana asked, then the wolf would answer honestly, she didn't have any more lies in her.

And ever so slowly Serana turned to look at Khara, and unlike so many other times, their eyes met and held each other. Serana saw how the wolf's glowing-blue eyes slowly faded until the glow had almost died out. For the first time in a long time, blue looked into orange, ice into fire, day into night. Words may be false, may be all _but_ the truth, but eyes…They spoke the truth, they didn't lie, eyes could show so much about a person, and at times, perhaps too much.

Serana were about to speak, to ask one final question, but she wasn't given that privilege as Angi, Aela and Vighar walked up to them. "We're heading out, we've gotten four mercenaries to come with us as the rest of them need to maintain the mine." Aela said as she looked around them.

Khara cleared her throat, hoping that her voice didn't sound as weak this time. "We're finally ending this then? We're going to the heart of this little cult?" She asked as she placed her hands on her belt.

"That we are, ready to use that blade of yours?" The Huntress asked with a small grin.

"More than ready." Khara answered as she needed to release some frustration and other emotions in some way, and she guessed that slicing up some mages would do just fine, it looked like it worked for Vighar after all.

Serana rose from where she sat and walked up to the rest of them. Looks like that one question will have to wait till later, so she was more than motivated to see this done. And so, without anything else, they sat out to their final destination. It was time to slay some witches.

* * *

It almost surprised them over just how close the Coven's main base were. It took them less than an hour to get there, and once the cave entrance were in sight, they prepared themselves. There weren't anyone outside standing guard, and if it had been anyone else, then Khara would have cheered, but she knew that mages had little need of guards in order to know they had visitors. She did hope however, that the mages didn't see their arrival and that they didn't know of the battle that would take place soon.

Aela shared some inspirational words with her fellow wolves as the others simply listened and waited for the attack. With weapons drawn and spells charged, they slowly entered the dark cave. With the exception of two people, they were all prepared and ready for anything that the mages would throw at them. They crept closer to an opening in the cave and when they could hear the faint sound of someone talking, they stopped.

"So, where is our next target?" A voice of a man asked, his words echoed throughout the cave.

"Bannermist Tower, the Masters' want it and I can see why, it would be a good vantage point. And when the old man comes back from Moss Mother Cavern, then we'll send someone else over there too." The group kneeled down and ever so slowly, they moved closer.

"Speaking of the old man, shouldn't he be back already?" Khara already knew of who the spoke of, the mage that she had killed not long ago, when they were at Hunter's Rest.

"Ah, leave the man be, he's old, his legs aren't the way they used to be." Apparently Farkas have had enough of the men's little chat, because over those words he charged them, not being able to stand still no more. Unable to shout to his brother to come back, Vilkas had little choice but to join Farkas in his assault. And when two charged, the rest followed.

It was odd how the silence and calmness of a place can change so quickly, because now there were shouting all over the place, quickly followed by footsteps and then the sound of spells flying through the air.

Truth be told, it was pure chaos. The first mages who entered the room they were now in, well…They didn't last for too long. And it wasn't all that strange either, they were inside a cave, everything was so very close and the mages simply didn't have the range needed to keep their enemies away from them. In here, it was the ones who used physical weapons who had the obvious advantage, and they used it to the fullest.

Serana kept spotting mages with arrows on them, some still standing, but most of them already lying on the ground. Angi and Aela had a little contest it would seem like, who could shoot the most mages.

In the chaos, Khara managed to spot three tunnels that probably would take them further into the cave systems and when she saw that Vilkas led most of the Companions into one, and that the rest of them and the mercenaries chose the other one, Khara had little choice but to take the third option. With her blood pumping in her veins, the adrenalin made her movements faster and stronger than before. Every sound were louder, every smell stronger. She didn't mean to, but she let her wolf take over. And when the change had taken place, she felt so aware of everything around her, she felt so in control. She was still angry and frustrated over the situation, and so she channeled those feelings into the swings of her claws. All of her focus were on the other mages in the room, and all of her attention were locked on them, and that is why she failed to see Serana entering the same room.

And Serana was surprised to see Khara like this, it looked like the woman were dancing with the mages, because the way she moved out of their spells looked to rehearsed yet improvised. The wolf had her attention, and unluckily for Serana, someone spotted it and used it to their advantage.

A mage or someone who worked for the Coven came up behind her, and with strong movements, they placed a knife to her throat. Serana moved her hands up to his arm, but she was advised against it. "Now, now. Easy there, fangs. I took this dagger of a hunter a few days ago, I bet you that he used it for skinning, seeing to how sharp the blade is. And if that is the case, then I think that it would be an easy task for it to cut through that delicate skin of yours." He was pleased by himself, that much was clear.

When Khara had mauled down the mages she could see, she turned around and spotted Serana in the arms of that man. It made her furious as she growled and approached with great speed, but the man spoke to her. "You better keep your distance, wolf! Or my hand might just slip!" He said as he gestured to the hand holding the dagger to Serana's throat. And when glowing-blue saw it, Khara stopped completely, commanding her wolf to stand still.

She stood up on two legs and growled at him, letting him know that she did not like the idea the man had, but he only licked his lips before speaking once more. "That's it, good dog. Now, move back." Khara did as he said and the man were forced to smile, because why was this werewolf following his orders so willingly?

He might not be the smartest mage in Tamriel, but he soon connected the dots when he saw how the wolf kept looking at the woman in his arms and back at him. It forced him to laugh out loud. "What is this? The puppy cares for fangs here? Now this is proper writing material this." He tightened his hold on Serana. "I might just write a book about you two after I'm done with you."

Serana kept trying to move out of his grasp, but the blade to her neck told her that it wasn't happening. She could feel how it had already broken through her skin, because she could feel some drops of blood rolling down her throat. She were about to try again, but with more force. _Don't move,_ she heard in her mind and all of her movements stopped as she looked at Khara with wide eyes.

She ran through her mind, trying to find any information about the ability to communicate with others with their thoughts alone. She looked through her memories, her old thoughts, remembering all the books she had read, but she only found one answer. As far as Serana was aware, there was only one way to do what the wolf had just done, and it was through the bond of blood, an act so incredibly intimate that Serana felt a shiver at the mere thought of it. She almost didn't believe it, but only almost. Her lips parted as she were at a loss of words, because the mark on the wolf's shoulder weren't from anyone else, it was _her_ mark, she was the one that had marked Khara, it had to be her. The current situation was not all that important to her right now as her mind were filled with so much more. She didn't think of the man who had the power to end her life, all she could think about was the owner to those blue orbs looking back at her.

Khara wished she could have done more, that she could have ripped the arm of the man who were threatening her Serana, but she saw how ready he was to go through with it. Khara spotted movements behind the mage and growled again to gain the mage's full attention. And it worked, because he didn't even hear Vighar sneak up behind him.

It was amusing to Vighar to slice the mage's throat open, seeing to how he was about to do the same to Serana. He wasn't planning on entering this tunnel, but he heard growling and needed to see what it was all about. And now he had just saved the life of a Volkihar vampire, he cheered within himself as he now knew that he would for sure be accepted by the clan.

He cleaned his dagger and spoke. "I think that is it, ladies. The wolves have dealt with the witches, they bloody ripped their heads off." He chuckled, unaware that neither women were listening to him.

Khara were still transformed, but that didn't make her able to move, because those orange eyes kept her in place. She knew what Serana was thinking about, maybe she shouldn't have let Serana hear her thoughts, but she couldn't risk it, she wouldn't.

Serana was about to speak, to confront the wolf about it, to finally have Khara tell her the truth and the whole truth, but it looked like the Companions enjoyed their perfect timing, because here came Vilkas. "It's done." He panted. "We're going to gather the bodies and burn them. Aela and Athis is going back to Whiterun with the heads, we need to prepare them for a ritual." He walked closer to Khara. "Aela wants you to be there when the ritual takes place, it should be ready in two days from now."

Khara inhaled deeply and her wolf released her from its form. She turned back to herself and looked at the Companion. "I'll be there, shall I just meet you in Jorrvaskr when the time comes?"

"Aye, that would be best. You can go now, we'll deal with the bodies." He didn't even grasp the possibility of what he was interrupting, and it was for the better that he never knew. His words however told both women that they were no longer needed here, they could leave. "There is another thing I would like to ask." He said. "If it's not too much, then could we use your manor to heal our wounds?"

"Of course, Vilkas. Everything you need is in the kitchen and laboratory." She told him and the man smiled at her generosity. Vilkas then asked if she could help with the injured and get them to the manor, and she gladly accepted, happy to have something to focus on.

* * *

Khara handed over a few bandages and health potions to Brand as he and Linreth had managed to get a few burns and cuts from the mages. Once she was sure that her assistance were no longer needed by the wolves, she made her way upstairs and entered her bedroom. She closed the door and sat down at the bed. Her hands gripped each other as she leaned her forehead against them. She waited, and she waited, every second seemed to last for too long as she tried to prepare herself for what was coming. And after what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened and closed only a moment later.

Serana wasn't sure what to say or what to do at this point. She only knew that she needed to get to be alone with the wolf, for she needed to know. She needed to know _who_ this woman was, who she was to her. She didn't know where to start because she didn't know where it would end. "I…-" She shook her head at herself as she just couldn't find the right words. " _Who_ are you?" Those words were so simple and could mean so many different things, but the wolf knew of what she asked.

"I think you know…" Khara told her.

Serana leaned back against the wall, for she felt the need to get closer, but feared doing it. She felt both warm and cold at the same time, it was torture. "It's my mark, isn't it?" She wasn't whispering, but her voice came out weak and low. "On your shoulder."

 _Tell her,_ her dragon aspect pleaded. "It is." She was afraid, because this could only end two ways. And she prayed to every single god she knew about that it ended her way. Because her heart felt weak. Serana had been her air and now she needed to breathe again, but would the woman grant her this or deny it?

"And I carry yours?" Serana asked, she felt how she about to sweat from the uncomfortable warmth and how she shivered at the unwelcomed coolness that traveled through her body.

Khara furrowed her brows and closed her eyes, because she were on the brink of tears. Serana sounded so small and fragile right now, and all the wolf wanted was to hold her, to make it better, but she couldn't. She opened her eyes and finally look at Serana. She stood up from the bed and inhaled, the air was so very thin now. "You do." Her aspects told her to stay, but everything else in her mind told her to leave. She made her way over to the door. "I can get Odahviing to bring you home-" Serana interrupted her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Serana whispered as her eyes followed the wolf. As the space between them became smaller, something in Serana stirred, something was building up. She didn't know what else she could have said, she just needed to make the wolf stay.

Khara leaned her forehead against the wall as she closed her eyes once again. _Stay,_ her aspects cried out. _I can't,_ she said back. She felt how her dragon aspect growl within her. _Show her_ , it commanded, but Khara didn't know how. "I don't." She flinched over her own words, her dammed aspects were making it difficult to speak. _If you won't, then I will,_ her inner dragon said.

Serana made her way closer, she didn't have a choice in the matter, her body were currently in charge, not her mind. With each step the coldness faded and were replaced with warmth, the comfortable one. A faint light were beginning to glow around them, dancing its way between their bodies. It was so very welcoming and…And familiar. It was almost like it whispered, _come closer._ Her shoulder met the wall as she leaned against it, and she was so very close to the wolf now.

She saw how a single, lone tear rolled down Khara's cheek and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman, and along with that feeling came something else. The light touched her, and with it came the feeling of pure electricity, and it asked her a question and it was simple, and so Serana accepted.

Time froze as her mind opened itself to what was about to be shown, to be given. She heard a voice, but it wasn't Khara's, it sounded like it was a dragon, and it spoke to her within her mind.

 _It was so very dark, but in a cave filled with twilight, you shone brightly for our eyes. And when you asked us your question. "Who are you?" We were forced to answer._

" _I am a Thane, I'm Khara."_

She could hear her own words and Khara's, she could even see herself from the perspective of the wolf. The memory, the vision faded as another one came and took its place.

 _And you were a breath of fresh air, which made it hard to exist when we parted ways._ She saw herself on a boat heading for Castle Volkihar while Khara stood by and watched it happen. She felt a small sting in her chest, a little tingle of pain. Khara's feelings were on display for her to both see and feel.

 _But our paths were linked together, and when we met again, you managed to get closer than all others before you. You had the very design to our defenses, to our walls, and with ease you defeated them._ She could see Riften, the town that she had heard so much about. When she saw those stone covered halls and the Flagon, she couldn't help but feel the heaviness in her mind become lighter. She could see herself and Khara sitting so very close, talking about everything and nothing. And she could feel the touch, the warmth on her hand like it was happening all over again.

 _You saw weakness and vulnerability but remained with us despite our mistakes._ She could see the town of Helgen, she could remember a conversation with a woman within a house in Whiterun, she could see the wolf killing a man with a smile on her lips as she did so. _But you did not judge, you did not cast us aside. Before you we were burning, but you tamed the flame within, you gave it purpose once more. And because of that, we will never forget. And if you cannot remember, then we will remember it for you._

The voice, the soothing strong voice faded slowly as Serana was forced back to reality. She opened her eyes and it seemed like only mere seconds had passed, because the wolf was still here, but the lights had faded. She could remember laughing with the wolf, crying, drinking ale and wine and joking about whatnot. She could remember the friendly touches and the looks, but she couldn't remember the intimate ones. But she had just seen visions of the past of her being in Dimhollow, and now she remembered it. She had been given the ability to feel what she felt back then, and she felt it. But no visions of true affection had been given, and so none were felt.

But that only made her wonder, could she trigger those memories to resurface as well? She remembered the wolf's last words before the visions. _I don't._ It triggered something within her.

 _What are you feeling?_ "What are you feeling?" She was forced to repeat the words, she had no choice.

Khara opened her eyes and parted her lips. "Everything." But Serana could hear something else within her mind. _Excitement and hunger,_ but there was supposed to be a word between those two, but what was it? "A longing." There it was.

This conversation had been spoken before. _What do you- "_ What do you want, Khara?" She said in unison with the voice within her, and as she spoke she could remember what had happened up to that point. Dimhollow, she remembered Khara's thoughts, _a lady in a crypt_ , thoughts of the journey home, the drunken tales spoken by Lydia, a journey to remember as she and Khara traveled from Whiterun to Riften, and she remembered the new territory she and the wolf had discovered, but there was one last piece of the puzzle that still remained hidden from her.

And then Khara spoke, and the last piece was within reach. "You." The wolf whispered, eyes aimed low as she did so. "I want you to be able to look at me without seeing a stranger, I want things to be like they were, and that's not fair to you." Her voice were so weak, it was about to shatter. She couldn't blame Serana for not remembering them, and so she could only blame herself.

Khara was about to break down, to release all of those blasted emotions to join her as she was about to fall to the floor, but she was stopped. The most delicate, smooth and comforting hand touched her cheek, forcing her to face the woman who was the source to all of her happiness, to all of her pain. Those blue eyes weren't glowing no more, and Serana knew that she had seen them before so many times. Her eyes followed the scar under the wolf's eyes and she remembered of how the wolf had gotten it, the dwarven sphere.

She just needed Khara to say three more words, she just had to know before she did was her mind was screaming her to do, what her body demanded she did. "I just need to hear you say three words, Khara. Like the first time you spoke them." She whispered, lips trembling as more memories came flooding in. They joined all the others and blocked the doorway, unable to move in or out. They were stuck within her and she knew that Khara had the key, the woman only needed to speak. She needed to hear those three words like she had heard them for the first time, back in the cave filled with the little pink moths.

And Khara looked at her, she searched Serana's face because the way she had just said her name was different from all the previous times. It almost sounded like…She swallowed and blinked her eyes. She couldn't help but lean into the touch as the tears rolled down. She inhaled before finally letting her aspects have their wish. " _Zu'u lokal hi_." She finally said them.

Serana felt her own cheeks being flooded by her own tears as the memories unlocked themselves for her, every single one of them except some, but it was no loss, for she knew how to make them appear within her mind, she knew what to do now.

Her hand caressed the warm and wet cheek as she came closer, the warmth covering her like a cloak. And she saw how the wolf stood straighter and leaned off of the wall at her approach. She heard the familiar sound of a heart increase, she heard how the flow of blood went faster, how Khara's breathing came out ragged. And she was met with that soothing scent. She could feel herself become lighter and lighter with every inch that decreased between them. And she felt how her own body became less aware of anything and everything around her, all of her focus was on the wolf, like it had been so many times before.

Her hand fell to a shoulder as her lips came in contact with the armor on the wolf's chest. Just being this close was difficult, but Serana was not letting it stop her this time. Ever so slowly she let her head rise. She savored the feeling of having her nose trace a line along the wolf's cheek, she would make sure to remember the way she heard the wolf's heart jump and her breath hitch. She let her hand take its time as it came in contact with a warm neck, one that she had been so very close to before, on several occasions. Her nose touched the wolf's as her eyes began to feel heavy and so she was forced to shut them.

She could feel how Khara's whole body became less stiff as she brushed their lips together. A thrilling feeling was the result of her actions, and with her own desire to feel them again increased, she finally pressed her lips firmly against the wolf's.

It took a second, because Khara couldn't believe that this was happening again, but when she finally realized that it was indeed happening, she kissed the woman she so deeply loved back. It was so different from their other kisses, but Khara was in no way about to complain about having those sweet lips against her own again. She did however feel how uncertain Serana was about this, and so she herself slowed down, letting the woman choose the speed, the pressure. And all too soon Serana broke the kiss and clenched her eyes even tighter together.

It was certainly not the reaction one would like after having just kissed a person, so as unsureness came over her, Khara took a step back, letting Serana have her space.

But the other woman wasn't flinching over the kiss, she was doing so over the memories that unlocked themselves, the feelings. She quickly opened her eyes and looked at Khara, who looked back at her with discouraged eyes. Serana only shook her head as she took the one step needed to be close to the wolf again, _her_ wolf. Both her hands found the wolf's cheeks and she kissed Khara again, and with so much more force. She stood even closer this time, body pressed against the wolf's. She took the woman's lower lip between her own as she continued to let the tears roll down.

And Khara was crying too as she kissed her back. Slowly her arms came to hold around Serana, unsure if it was fine to do so, but when Serana pressed herself even more against her, she knew that it was more than fine. After their lips had turned swollen due to their dance, Serana broke the contact once more and hid her face in the crook of Khara's neck, something that she hadn't done in such a long time, too long. She inhaled deeply as the need to smell that scent of raw fire was overwhelming to her. She held around her wolf in such a strong embrace that she was sure that Khara was on the brink of breaking a few ribs, but she couldn't help it, she needed to hold on to her.

"I'm so sor-." Serana cried out but weren't able to finish the sentence before the wolf silenced her. Khara hushed as she shook her head, there was no need for such words, no need at all. Serana's head was a mess, there were so many things coming back to her, so many memories and thoughts, feelings and fears, but they were _hers_. Her hand came up to the back of Khara's head, she needed to be held, for her legs were beginning to fail at their current task.

Neither knew who moved who, but ever so slowly they crept closer to the bed. Serana was holding onto her wolf because she was unsure if she could stand on her own and Khara held onto her because she was scared that this was just another scheme of the Dreamweaver, another nightmare that would soon turn into chaos, but it never happened as they ended up on the bed. Nothing else happened, they only continued to hold onto the other, neither willing to let go.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when Khara had awoken. She rolled onto her side and reached out for Serana, but she was met with emptiness. Her eyes shot open at the loss of the woman and almost immediately her mind began filling itself with unhealthy thoughts. She leaned back on her elbows as her head were slowly catching up to her. She was mere seconds from getting out of the bed when the door closed. Blue orbs shot to the door and was met with orange ones.

Serana saw the distress on Khara's face slowly fade away with each step she took. With confidence she got into the bed, removed the blanket to the side, laid down on Khara and threw the blanket back over them as their lips met once more.

Khara melted at the touch and was now fully laying against the bed again. Serana's lips left a trail of affection down to the wolf's neck before opening her eyes. She moved a little to the side to get a better view and when she had done so, she let her fingers run along the wolf's jaw and chin. She didn't understand how she had lasted this long without the wolf's warmth and affection, because as of the moment she felt starved off it, she just couldn't get enough. Her eyes connected with Khara's and she had never seen such raw emotions in them before. There was both happiness and sadness, joy and heartbreak, the list just went on. But luckily for her, she knew what she needed to do to remove all the negative ones from those beautiful eyes. Their foreheads met, and with all of their focus being on the other, their minds opened themselves to the other, their feelings on display and shared with the other. She had no words on her mind as they laid there in the silence. There was nothing to be said, not yet, but that was alright, it was fine. The silence that floated around them spoke for itself and it told them both what they wanted to hear.

 _What did you do?_ Khara asked her dragon. _I gave you a much-needed nudge, goraan gein,_ it answered. In all honesty, her heart felt sore due to how full it felt. It was almost pain, but the good kind if that made sense. Khara couldn't really explain it all that well, for she didn't even know how to feel about it, to feel about _this_. She was only grateful to whoever it was that was watching over her, to whoever god or other unworldly being that had granted her this. It amused her how she just couldn't fully grasp that this was happening. She was lying in a bed with Serana again, it all felt so unreal.

Serana only smiled as she placed her head under the wolf's chin, reveling in the warmth. She didn't stay like that for long though, the need to see those eyes again were overwhelming. And when their eyes did met, both shared a small smile. It had been so very long since the last time, it was about time they did it again. "Hey." She whispered, careful not to speak too loud nor to low.

And that word had never made the wolf as overjoyed as she was now. She smiled bashfully as she reached around Serana and pulled her into her. In her tight, warm embrace she spoke back. "Hey yourself."

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I didn't feel like I could have dragged that out much longer. I've would have finished this chapter on Friday, but I got distracted with a game :P Anyways, hopefully all is well and back on track for the girls now, but we'll have to see what happens. I'm still working on a new questline to take on, but there is going to be a few things involved and so I need time to prepare it. I do believe that I will be able to get some more chapters out before I start on it thought.

As for this chapter, I didn't feel like putting all that much focus on the fighting itself, I tired to fill it with thoughts and feelings as I thought that made the most sense for the time. I didn't get to tell you anything really about Vighar, but I'll keep him in mind so if I need him again, then I may be able to tell you more about the man.

I chose to focus on Serana's perspective when Khara's aspect offered to show her the memories that they shared, seeing to how Khara wasn't even aware of what was happening.

I thought that I'd also let you know that I will have a rather busy week, but I'm sure I can find some time to sit down with the story. It's crazy that its been over a year, I never would have thought that when I sat down to simply try and write a little, that it would end up in a story that had over 300k words in it and was still going. I'm so bloody glad that I did it thought, my ability to write English now is unreal compared to how it was, I've learnt so many new words and meanings, sayings and such. So in a way, I wanted to thank _you_ for taking the time to sit down with this and read it. Without you guys and gals I wouldn't have ever gotten this far, of that I'm sure, so thanks.

The Dovahzul words in this one is pretty simple, so no translations for you, ha!

Not much else to say right now, so have a nice day and take care.

-Zep


	36. Chapter 36

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 36_

 _Throat of the World_

Odahviing landed and let the women off as he took in the sight of the castle. Khara and Serana walked a few steps away from the dragon before stopping, they didn't really want this, to part ways so soon, but it would only make the reunion that much more memorable. That, and they both had things that they needed to do, Serana had to talk with her mother and clan, while Khara needed to join the Companions in the ritual that Vilkas mentioned. This way, they would be more efficient and Khara also had something in mind. The wolf had an idea, or plan rather, and it would be so much better if it remained a surprise to Serana. Khara simply needed to travel to Riften after she was done with the ritual, then she could come and get Serana who hopefully would be done with her things by then.

"So, what is this grand plan of yours?" Serana asked as Khara had hinted to something over the last day and Serana was simply too curious, she wanted to know what the wolf had in mind, she always did.

The wolf smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know if its all that _grand,_ but it's a surprise."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Serana asked as she tilted her head, a small smile at her lips as she knew just how easily she could make the wolf answer all of her questions, but…Serana looked past Khara and met Odahviing's gaze. Perhaps it would be for the best if she didn't use her, her _skills_ on the wolf while out in the open.

"Afraid not." Khara said with a grin as she looked down to the ground.

Serana narrowed her eyes as she took a step closer. "Alright." They looked deeply at each other before meeting in a soft and loving kiss.

The way Serana moved her lips so skillfully against her lips made her entire stomach flutter, her chest felt so light. She completely forgot about everything else when they kissed, it was like she was under Serana's spell. It was almost scary how easily Serana could make all the worries just disappear, but only almost. She couldn't help but groan when Serana pressed even harder against her, she then also heard another noise, one that came from behind.

Khara furrowed her brows before breaking the kiss and turning her head to see what it was. Sure enough, Odahviing was watching them with great interest. When she met his gaze, he only straightened his neck as he continued to stare. It was amusing how he simply couldn't grasp what he was currently doing. Khara laughed before speaking. "Odahviing, do you mind?" Her voice was filled with amusement.

He looked at Serana, who was also looking at him with a shy smile, before looking back at Khara. "Nid, I do not." He answered honestly, why would he mind? It didn't bother him at all. He wasn't bothered by the way mortals showed their affection, if anything he found it interesting as he simply couldn't grasp why two beings would enjoy touching each other with their mouths. But he had such a different understanding of what the two women had, he couldn't fully understand it the way they did.

Serana laughed out as Khara simply shook her head at the overgrown red lizard. Khara turned back to Serana. "I'd love to continue, but I'm not a big fan of an audience."

Serana chuckled as she nodded, she agreed. "You will come back here after you're done with the Companions?" She asked, smile still on her lips as she found it hard not to do so.

"I also need to do something real quick in Riften, but I'll come here right after that." Khara promised as she took a step back, letting Serana know that they should get to it.

Serana walked backwards slowly as she kept her gaze with Khara. "What if I guess it?" She asked, and when the wolf didn't answer, Serana guessed away. "Solitude?" She wouldn't mind going there again since she had such fond memories from the previous times she and her wolf had been there, but Khara shook her head.

"Wrong, but good guess." She couldn't help but smile as she continued to make more room between them.

"Whiterun?" It was a beautiful city, the architecture was so incredibly unique. She hadn't seen much of Dragonsreach, so to see it again with the wolf as her guide would be entertaining for sure.

Khara shook her head as she chuckled, Serana could try all she wanted, but she wasn't going to tell. "Still wrong." She said with a raised voice as she continued to walk away, a smile firmly planted on her face as she did so.

 _Damn stubborn woman._ "Fine!" Serana said as she let her arms fall to her sides, but she too couldn't keep her lips from forming a smile. She would let Khara have this little victory, but she made sure to remember to repay the wolf in the future, or…Why not right now? Khara was still somewhat nearby and so she focused all her thoughts on the woman. _I could always just tie you up and make you answer my questions that way,_ Serana whispered through her mind to the wolf. The smirk on her lips showed Khara that she was so incredibly proud over herself in that moment.

Khara stopped abruptly and looked at Serana with wide eyes, her jaw hang as she found no words. She turned her head to look at Odahviing, but she then realized that Serana hadn't spoken the words, something she was very thankful for. Her aspects stood still within her mind as they too were shocked. Khara didn't have time to say something witty back as Serana took her leave, but not before sending a wink in the wolf's direction. Oh, and of course did Serana increase the sway of her hips as she walked. Khara had no choice but to join her wolf aspect as it released a whimper. She wanted to be annoyed at the woman for reminding her of her little secret that she had told the her some time ago, but how could she be angry at someone so… Khara shook her head, for she didn't really know just how to describe Serana with just one word. She just loved the woman like crazy, so for now she would let Serana have her fun, she was sure that the she would repay her in due time.

She finally managed to get onto Odahviing. He would carry her over the mountain tops and get her to Whiterun in no time. She was a little curious for what kind of ritual that the wolves would need her to attend to, perhaps if she really focused herself, then the feeling in her gut from Serana's schemes would vanish before she arrived there, hopefully.

Just before entering Castle Volkihar, Serana turned around and saw Odahviing and Khara turn to the skies. The smile she had on her lips vanished when the first face she was met with once inside was the face of her mother, Valerica.

The older woman simply stood still as she saw how Serana's face fell at the sight of her. Had something happened? Was her daughter injured, or had the wolf done something to her? She was about to ask, to ask what had happened and what was wrong, but the words never had a chance to come out.

She didn't see it coming, she didn't have a chance to move, block or avoid it. Her head turned to the side as a result of the impact, the entire right side of her face felt like it was on fire. Serana had just slapped her, she was almost proud of her daughter because she felt the amount of strength that had been put into it. But if she didn't lecture her daughter over what she had just done, then what kind of mother was she? She turned to face the younger woman, endless amount of words ready to roll of her tongue, but yet again something unexpected happened and she was pulled into a bone-crushing embrace.

This wasn't like them, a lot of time had passed since they had last done this, centuries in fact. It was strange, but Valerica returned the gesture as she held around her daughter. She swallowed before speaking. "What was that for?" She asked a little confused.

"You explained that I had been in Dimhollow for all that time, but you failed to mention that it was _you_ who put me there." The muffled voice of Serana said.

 _Fair enough._ "And this?" Valerica asked gently, squeezing around her daughter with her arms to show the younger vampire what she meant.

"I didn't have the time to tell you in the Soul Cairn, but I've really missed you." Her eyes were squeezed so tightly together that it almost hurt.

She smiled over those words, for she could tell that they were honest. With her arms holding around her daughter still she spoke. "I've missed you too, dear." And it was while she was holding her daughter that she felt something she thought that she would never feel again, she felt this tiny, small warmth. She wasn't sure if it was there at all, but she could feel it and she knew why it was appearing now, it was because after all this time she had finally been granted to be glad again, to feel. And it may not be much, but it was more than enough for the woman. "Come now, I think we have much to discuss." She said as she patted Serana on the back.

* * *

Khara entered Jorrvaskr and looked around, she spotted Aela and approached her. As she walked closer she felt herself become more aware of the place, or her wolf aspect did at least. The uneasy feeling that followed her were always present whenever she came to this place, hopefully they wouldn't have to stay for long. Just getting out of this place would feel better, even if the brothers and Aela came with her. It was hard to describe, but it felt like she was in a wolf's den, filled with hostiles that were ready to leap at her if she made the smallest of mistakes, there were no room for weakness in Jorrvaskr, and the wolf knew it.

She felt eyes on her as she moved, and she expected nothing less, but it didn't help with the uneasiness that hovered around her. She was tense and ready to do what was needed in order to protect herself if needed, something she hoped the other wolves knew well. When she reached Aela, the Huntress turned to meet her gaze. "I'm glad you could come, I think the old man will appreciate it." She said.

 _Wait, what?_ "What do you mean?" The Huntress spoke of Kodlak, that she knew, but what did she mean with, _I think the old man_ will _appreciate it._ Kodlak was gone, dead, claimed by the Huntsman of the Princes, blessed to roam the Hunting Grounds for all eternity, but Kodlak didn't want that fate.

Aela just grinned as she grabbed her bow. "Hope you're ready, for we're going to go and see the old man."

Khara looked at her with confusion filled in her eyes. "Where are we going?"

"To Ysgramor's Tomb, let's go." Aela said as she walked past Khara.

Khara only closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, why couldn't just Aela have met her there instead. _Damn woman,_ she heard in her mind, but she couldn't tell if it was her aspects who had said it or herself.

And so she turned around to follow the woman, she hadn't been to Ysgramor's Tomb before, but she knew of its location.

* * *

"And how do you know that they won't attack us?" Khara whispered as they walked further into the tomb. Her eyes were working like crazy to spot all of the ghost that were watching them.

"They are Companions and will not attack fellow members." Aela said as she led them through the old and dusty halls. Her words were true, these ghosts wouldn't harm fellow Companions.

"Aela,-" Khara hissed at her. "I am not a member of the Companions." She said as she walked a little faster to catch up to the Huntress, the eyes of the undead only making her feet move with more purpose than before.

"Then keep up." Aela simply said, taking some joy in seeing the always calm and collected Dragonborn having a bit of a panic. The ghosts of her fallen comrades wouldn't attack them, but Khara didn't know that and Aela found it humorous.

"Why aren't the brothers with us, or anyone else for that matter?" Khara asked as they continued to walk. She looked around her with each step she took, she didn't feel like she was in any danger, but that feeling have betrayed her before.

"They didn't think it to be wise, their hearts are still filled with grief and anger." Aela explained as they walked, her eyes stuck on the path ahead.

Khara looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And yours isn't?" The wolf asked.

"It has grief in it, yes, but not anger. I chose not to anger myself over the death of the old man, but to focus on the memories that I have of him instead." Her voice was strong and everything indicated that she was speaking the truth, and the wolf believed it.

Their conversation stopped there, but their feet did not. The halls were long and dark, but that too came to a stop in the end. They were in a room now, a huge room. As far as Nordic ruins go, this room was in its own right…Beautiful, it was truly stunning. Chandeliers hang from the cealing above, endless amounts of lit candles filled the room, art of the old Nordic heroes filled the walls and in the middle of the room there was a fire, but the flames weren't red like most. No, these ones seemed to copy the wolf's eyes, it was as blue as the purest water, like the most intense lightening.

But that was not all, because standing with their hands close to the bluish flame stood a ghost, a shade of another Companion, but this one was no mere member of the guild, it was Kodlak. There, right before them stood a man that Khara was sure she would never ley her eyes on again. She was surprised, and very thankful when Aela did the talking. "It's good to see you again, Kodlak." She greeted her old friend with a warm smile.

Kodlak laughed as he walked up to his friend. He placed both hands on her shoulders as he looked at her. "I thought that I would have to wait much longer to see your face again." He pulled her into an embrace. "It's good to see you too, Aela." He also send a nod over to Khara, who gladly returned it. The hug broke and he looked at her again. "Now tell me, why are you here?"

Aela smiled at him, eyes filled with warmth. "To give an old man one last wish." She reached behind her and showed Kodlak it. It was a bag, and inside it was one of the heads of the Glenmoril witches. She didn't say anything else as she threw the bag into the fire, and it caught flame in an instant.

Kodlak stumbled back as he gripped his chest piece, something was moving within him, trying to get out. It didn't hurt, but it was far from comfortable as it felt like something was being ripped out of him. He was forced down on a knee as a red light came out of his chest and as it happened, he felt his connection to his inner wolf fade.

He felt how the need to hunt vanish from his mind, he felt how his need to satisfy his inner beast fade. The red light took on a form, that of a huge wolf and it leapt to the flames, being swallowed by it. The flame burned brighter and blue embers filled with small spots of red hovered around them. Kodlak's eyes were wide as he heard the sound of howling all around the room.

The flame swallowed the beast, Kodlak remained on the ground for a moment longer before standing up, slowly. He felt a little numb, and perhaps a little lightheaded as he was finding it difficult to stand straight. But it too faded over time, and it was easier to breathe again. He looked to Aela and he was forced to smile, for he felt free. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything, there is no need for it."

"But there is." He walked closer. "Before death claimed me, I failed at passing on the title of Harbinger." His words caused Aela to look at him with awaiting eyes. "And everyone knows that the Companions need a Harbinger." He said with a clever smile.

Aela nodded. "Just say the name and I shall tell them." She said, for she was more than willing to do as the man asked. She thought of who it would be, who would be the new Harbinger. Vilkas would be a good candidate, for he was strong and took action, even if it was poorly made decisions. Farkas was out of the picture, for obvious reasons, she harbored no ill thoughts towards the man, for he had his heart in the right place, but his mind was another matter entirely. She was about to let her thought reach the other members of the guild, but Kodlak stopped her.

He smiled at her over hearing her words, it filled his heart with pride. "For so many years now I've been blessed to have you in my company. And I've seen you grown from a little careless girl into a fully grown and responsible woman. Your journey have not been the easiest, but what hardship that came over you, you welcomed it head-on and with a strong heart. Never have you made a decision that came without thought and worry for those involved and that, that is the sign of a born leader." His words caused her to simply stand and listen, for she thought she knew what was about to happen.

He walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulder as he looked deeply into her eyes. "My girl, I have never been more sure than what I am in this very moment. And I am so very proud of you, of the person you've become. Over the last years I've seen you become your own person, the perfect successor…" He placed his other hand on her shoulder, he needed her to feel the weight of the words that were about to come. "And so it is with great joy and honor that I say these words, Aela. I hereby give you the title of Harbinger of the Companions. Let it be known to all, allies and enemies, friends and foes. May you carry it with pride, but also modesty. And may it be an example to those who seek glory, and may it be a warning for those who seek to abuse power. May your name echo throughout the mountains, letting all know of your name and responsibility, of your gift and burden."

She was at a loss of words, or so she thought. "I'm honored." She managed to let out.

"And speechless, it would seem." Kodlak said with a smile as he chuckled.

She too laughed as she lowered her head. "I won't disappoint you."

"Don't worry for me, I will be fine. Just don't disappoint yourself, that is what's most important." She nodded at his words. Kodlak then heard something in the back of his mind, something he had dreamed of for endless nights. He closed his eyes and smiled. "I can hear the distant horns of Sovngarde calling for me." He mused.

Aela grinned as she patted his shoulder. "Then go and join the blessed feast, old man, you've waited long enough." And with those words Kodlak took a few steps back.

He slowly faded as his eyes locked with hers. "Thank you." Was the final words she would ever hear of the man's voice, and they were filled with pride. He vanished, and so did the flame in the middle. Aela felt a tear escape her eyes as she turned around, first now remembering that she weren't alone.

She looked at Khara who was looking quite amused, a stupid smile on her lips. "What are you looking at." She asked the woman.

"The new Harbinger, apparently." To hear that title come from someone else really made it sink in for the Huntress, and it gave her the most amazing feeling.

Khara didn't need to ask why she had come with her, she knew it in the second she saw the look on Kodlak's face when their eyes had met. It was like a final goodbye, their last farewell. And even though they traded no words with one another, she knew it was more than enough for the both of them. And who knew, maybe they would meet again when the wolf had lived her last days. Maybe their paths would cross each other again in the future.

* * *

Khara walked past the market place of Riften, it was late and the shop keepers had retired for the day. She shook her head at herself, had she been faster she might have managed to catch Madesi before the argonian had closed up his shop for the day. She didn't think too much of it as she walked down to the Guild, she simply would have to try again tomorrow.

She had walked this path so many times in the past that her legs simply walked on their own accord while her mind continued to let the thoughts wash over her. She was a little disappointed, because now more time needed to pass before she could return to Serana. And she so badly wanted to be with her, every second of every day. And with what she had planned, well…She just wanted to do it already, enough time had passed and she was afraid that if she didn't do it now, then something would come up that would only force it to be yet again delayed.

Before she knew it, she was already in the Flagon, she was made aware of it when Brynjolf invited himself to her table and placed two mugs full of mead down for them. He was supporting a huge grin as he sat down. Khara eyed him with skeptical eyes, he was most certainly up to something, she could almost smell his mischief. "What got you in such a good mood?" She asked the thief.

Her chuckled as he leaned back. "Oh, I'm just high on life, lass." He said as he took a sip of his drink, there was nothing like a cup full of happiness in the form of Black-Briar Mead to end a successful day. "Now lass, why back in town, got any business?" Brynjolf said as he sat down next to his Guildmaster and friend. "Oi, did you hear me?" He asked once more as he waved a hand in front of her eyes.

She smiled as she leaned her head back, she knew he was up to something and frankly, she wasn't in the mood right now. "Leave me alone, Bryn." She tried to dismiss him, they were the only ones left in the Flagon, everyone else had called it for the night. She wasn't ready for his dry jokes and witty words right now.

"Not until you tell me what crawled up your arse and died, you're in a foul mood." He said as he got comfortable in is chair, the man was clearly not planning on leaving anytime soon.

Khara groaned as she rested her chin on her hand. She looked at hin before speaking. "I'm just waiting for something, once I have it I can leave." _And go back to Serana._

"What is this something?" He asked, but it almost seemed like he acted by the way he had said those words.

She thought about it. "It's…An item for Serana." _It's not a lie._

He nodded as he drank. "Why didn't she come with you?"

"She needed to talk with her mother." She told him.

Brynjolf flinched over those words. "That explains it then, trouble with the in-laws?" He tried not to, but there was a small smirk on his lips. For he knew something that Khara didn't know he did, and that was so very pleasant to the man, because it so rarely happened.

Khara seemed to choke on the air over his words, when she recovered she pointed at him and spoke. "Not married." She said sternly, she wanted to make that point very clear to him.

Now his smirk turn into a shit-eating grin. He threw a small bag onto the table. "Not yet at least." He said amused. "I was at the market earlier, shared a few words with Madesi. He said he had an order finished for you, and with me being the lovely-charming-likable-man that I am, I offered to get them to you." Khara's eyes widened as she grabbed the bag and reached down to grab the two items within. She brought her hand up on the table and opened her palm. Brynjolf let out a low whistle when he saw the rings. "Holy mother of thieving, they're _magnificent_." He almost whispered.

Khara nodded slowly before putting them in one of her own pouches. "Wait, how did you know they were rings?" She asked, for she could see that he hadn't opened the pouch and looked at them, how did he know?

"Come on now, this is insulting. I've known you for a little while now, haven't I? I know how to read you, and your looks. It's obvious that you're head over heels for the girl, and what else am I to think when you go talking with one of the most talented jewel craftsmen in the province?" He was enjoying this so very much from where he sat.

She narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. "Were you spying on us?"

He raised his hands defensively. "I was merely observing, lass. I was talking with Grelka over by the Keep when you made your order." She did not look amused. "Old habit, I swear." He added.

She dismissed it. "Yeah, yeah…" She mumbled.

He slowly let his grin fade away, letting his more serious face be seen. "So, Serana's mother?"

"Oh yeah. I don't think she likes me much." The wolf said with a frown.

He looked at her. "Did you insult her?"

Khara shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of ran at her, grabbed her then pulled her through a portal, I haven't really spoken all that much with her." She then lowered her head on the table.

They talked some more, and it wasn't all that bad, she hadn't really seen this side from Brynjolf before. He was always the man who tried to cure everything with humor before trying anything else, he normally didn't act like this at all. It made her see him in a new light in a way, and it made her wonder just what had happened to him for him to have this _always_ _happy_ act of his. She now saw that it was a way to protect himself. And just like herself, he too had walls, but just how old and tall were they?

It was probably the way she was now looking at him that caused him to release a nervous laugh. "Do I have something on my face?" He joked.

Khara shook her head. "No, I've just…Never seen you like this."

He tilted her head and looked at her. "What, somewhat sober?" He said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I don't know, I guess we never really had any serious conversations, did we?" She didn't wish to pry, to possibly open old wounds.

"Aye, guess we haven't." His eyes roamed the table. "So I take it things are quite serious with you then, you and Serana?"

"Well, I did just follow her to a realm of Oblivion and back." Khara said with a small laugh.

He laughed too. "Damn…"

"Yeah, she gives life meaning." She said in a low voice, it felt so very strange to talk about Serana with such affection in front of another.

Brynjolf leaned closer and clicked their cups together. "Cheers to her then."

She nodded, smile firmly planted on her lips. "Cheers to her." As she was about to drink, Brynjolf took it from her and drank everything it held. "Oi, I was using that." She laughed.

"You just told me that you were waiting for something, and when you had it you would leave." He grinned. "Well, now you have it, so what are you still sitting here for?" He stood up and lifted Khara out of her seat.

"Alright, alright! I'll leave!" She laughed out as she began walking with him over to the door.

With his hands on her back, leading her towards the door, he spoke. "I'll take care of any business and such while you're busy, I can only imagine that you would want a few days off." He knew what it was like to be in love, he had been there himself a few times in the past, and he knew how he always felt like he never had enough time. A life to share with another was never for him anyways, he liked what he had now, where he was and who he was there with, good friends and people who he could trust, and of course there was the mead, the man couldn't ask for much more.

Khara thought about his offer. "I won't lie, that is a tempting thought."

He chuckled. "Go Khara, I'll hold down the fort." He said as he suddenly handed Khara a backpack.

She didn't ask what the bag was for, sometimes is was nice to let things be a surprise. "Cheers Bryn, I owe you." She said as he closed the door on her, something that only caused her smile to grow. She just stood there for a moment, she let it sink in and swallow her whole, for now she had what she came for. She then realized that she was standing completely still and darted towards the gates of Riften, she needed to get to Castle Volkihar.

* * *

Valerica watched her daughter as they sat at a table. They had talked for a while now, but neither could say for just how long, because as they sat and talked, all sense of time had just vanished. And that was alright, it was okay. For they talked of so many different things, both the good and the not so pleasant things.

She could see that the young woman sitting beside her was still her daughter, but she also saw that she was different from the person that she once knew. "You've changed." She said, voice low and gentle. Serana met her gaze, their eyes were looking into each other as Valerica spoke once more. "I can't recall ever seeing you like this."

Serana looked at her, a little unsure of what she meant. "Like what?"

"So grown." Her mother told her.

Serana lowered her gaze as a small smile graced her lips. "A lot have happened since we last spoke." She said and she meant from before the Soul Cairn, she spoke of the time before she was led into Dimhollow and she knew that her mother understood her perfectly. "I've seen so much, met so many." Her eyes were filled with something that Valerica hadn't seen in a very long time, Serana looked happy. "Learnt more than I thought possible." Her eyes said more than words ever could, she was glowing.

Valerica smiled as she recognized the look in her daughter's eyes. "I've also never seen you this cheerful."

Serana grinned. "How can I not smile? You're finally back and…" Her words faded, unsure if they were wise to be spoken yet. She had let her excitement get the better of her, and now she was forced to face the consequences of that.

Her mother knew though, there was more to be said, there was another. "And the wolf." She said gently.

Serana looked at her in an instant, just what did she mean by that? The words she had just said indicated that she knew, that she knew about _them_ , but the way that she said them sounded so genuine. She couldn't help but feel a slight worry within herself, because she being with another was never a problem, she knew that, but her being with another woman…She didn't know how her mother viewed that. And she knew that her mother's opinion on the matter wasn't all that important, but there was still this part of her that hoped that her mother approved, that she was fine with it. But isn't that something most children want from their parents? To be pleased with them, to be proud? She didn't know what to say so she only gave her mother a weak nod. She couldn't deny it, she didn't even think she would be able to deny it even if she tried, the whole idea of saying _no_ just sounded impossible to her.

Valerica carefully took Serana's hand in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze, along with some more words. "I know that our path haven't been like most, but that doesn't make what I'm about to say any less true. I want you to know that all I ever wanted was for you to be safe, to have a good life, filled with the things that you love, with people that you care greatly for. It's all any mother could ever wish for their children." She placed her other hand on Serana's and leaned closer. "And if she cares for you just as much as I can see you do for her, then what can I say? This world is filled with so much dread and hardship, we must take what we can, must we not?" She smiled. "From whoever is willing to offer it to us." She was about to say more, but a hug from her daughter interrupted her.

"It's really good to hear you say that." Serana mumbled as she held around her mother. She felt relieved, because she didn't want any more secrets between them and knowing that her mother was fine with it felt beyond amazing, it was great. "I wish I could have told you this sooner, like a few centuries ago." She chuckled.

"It certainly would have made all those plans with the Jarl's sons much easier, you have no idea of the planning it took for them to be introduced to you, but better late than never, dear." They both laughed over that, for they both saw the humor in it. "Now, I think I've kept you for long enough." She said as she moved back a little, out of her daughter's embrace and stood up.

Serana gave her a confused smile, but then she felt it, that warmth. She couldn't help but smile because she knew what that meant, she too rose from her seat. "I…-" She shook her head before planting a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Thank you." She added as she gave her mother another quick hug.

With her mother telling her that she should go, and with that feeling in her chest, Serana didn't need to be told twice. She gladly walked towards the exit, her smile growing with each step she took, for she had a pretty good idea of who was on the outside of the castle right now. And when she finally reached the door and opened it, she spotted her, the wolf.

Khara gave Serana an confused look, for how could she have known of her arrival? Khara was literally reaching for the door when Serana had opened it. "How did you-." Soft lips paused her words. This was a very pleasant surprise. Two cool hands held her face in place as she was met with such eager lips, she was so surprised in fact that she didn't even hold Serana, her arms were just still, hovering awkwardly in the air as they had received no commands from the wolf's mind. After some seconds however, her arms fell down to Serana's hip as she was finally able to keep up.

Serana smiled into the kiss before moving her head back the tiniest bit. She loved how the wolf's eyes had no glow in them now, she loved that she could do that to Khara so easily.

"What was that for?" Khara asked a little dazzled and out of breath.

Serana grinned as she moved some white hair out of the way. "Do I need a reason?" She asked as her eyes followed her hand as it ran down a smooth cheek. She saw that Khara shook her head, letting her know that she could do that whenever she wanted to. Their eyes met and both smiled at the other. "So, where to now?" She asked as she now noticed that night was upon them, as she could clearly see the stars in the skies, she could also see that there were clouds carrying promises of a storm was under way and would be upon them soon.

Khara leaned into her touch. "Throat of the World?" Khara asked, hoping that Serana would want to go there too, because she _really_ wanted her to come.

Serana smiled, for she remembered the wolf saying something about it before. "Do you want me to sing there? In the tower of the Greybeards during the night, when the light dances in the skies?" Serana asked, pleased that she still remember the wolf's words from so long ago.

Khara looked at her with that special look, that one look that was only shown to Serana alone, and only shown when Khara was under her spell. "You remember that?" Her voice was low.

"I do, hard not to." Her eyes fell down the wolf's armor and she smiled. "And yes." She whispered.

Khara beamed at her and bent her knees a little so that their eyes connected again. "Yes?" She whispered back. The excitement in her voice was so pure and it easily reached Serana's ears.

Serana chuckled as she nodded. "Yes, Khara. I'll go with you."

That was all the wolf needed to hear before grabbing Serana by her arms and pulling her down towards the dragon who would happily take them to the mountain.

* * *

Odahviing landed in the courtyard of High Hrothgar and close to where the women were headed, he couldn't have landed closer even if he tried. Between all of the dragons he would fight, all the bandits he would defeat and other beasts who he would hunt, this was a pleasant change of actions. He was glad that Khara didn't doubt of calling him to her aid, even if it was just to get to another place. It was like his time to relax and to recharge. That, and he enjoyed being in the young joor's company. For he had made a promise to the wolf; to always answer her calls, to always offer his aid if needed. And when he lowered his scale covered body closer to the freezing cold ground, he felt a warm hand caress his neck as the wolf descended. The gesture was simple, and if he didn't know the wolf, or the basic actions of mortals and how they showed affection, then he wouldn't pay it any mind. However, he knew what it meant, it was a thank, a gesture of gratitude. His eyes followed the form that was Khara as she made her way over to his head.

She kneeled down and smiled gently at him. "Thank you for this." She whispered as she help onto the backpack lazily hanging over her shoulders.

He didn't speak, he didn't need to trade words with the young wolf as he knew that she saw his eyes and what words they held within them. He simply kept their eyes connected as he took to the skies once more, ready to face off more dangers that this world had to offer him.

Khara's eyes followed him for as long as they could before turning to find Serana. The woman was standing still, arms around herself as she let the cool winds surround her. "Cold?" Khara asked as she walked up to her.

"Not really." Serana said as she looked down to her feet, then up again. "It's just and old habit, I guess?" She turned around as her gaze followed the wolf.

Khara then took Serana's arm and slowly guided her towards the tower, she couldn't help but feel herself becoming more and more excited for what was about to happen. They reached the tower and Khara opened the door for the both, allowing Serana to enter it first.

It felt good to be out of that storm, truly. Serana was about to make the climb for the top of the stone structure they were now in, but suddenly the form of white hair darted before her and leapt up the stairs. "Just take your time!" She heard Khara yell to her, and she knew that the wolf needed a little time to prepare _something_.

Serana's eyebrows narrowed as she could clearly hear the wolf move things around, her heartbeat increasing rapidly. "How much time should I take?" She asked back as she ever so slowly made her way upwards.

Khara stopped her movements and pondered of what to say. "Like, take a moment to appreciate the fine stone put into this grand tower of old!" She grinned to herself as she heard Serana laugh over her words. She could hear that Serana was still moving, but that she did indeed take her time in doing so. "How much have you appreciated thus far?" She asked after a few moments.

"About half of it." Serana answered, letting the wolf know that she didn't have all that much time left. "Should I turn so that I can appreciate it some more?" She asked, eyes on the stairs as a smile was playing on her lips and hands in her pockets.

"No, no that won't be necessary." Khara said as she was finally done with her little plan, or at least one part of it. She quickly let her eyes run over her work, making sure that it was all there, and when she was pleased with the sight, she allowed herself to speak once more. "You can come up now, unless you wish to admire more of the tower?" She would have to thank Brynjolf for this, the items that was in the bag was perfect.

 _I'd much rather appreciate someone else,_ Serana mused in her mind as she took on the last steps the tower had challenged her with. And when her foot came in contact with the floor instead of another step, her eyes rose and widened at the sight before her.

Candles, there was candles all over, all of them lit. There was a brazier in the middle of the little room, filled with firewood that had already been introduced to the heat of fire. Up against one of the walls there was a few blankets, woolen ones, so she knew they would aid in keeping the cold at bay. There was also some pillows up against the wall, just a few feet away from the ledge. For the room was open to the world outside, they could probably have seen Windhelm if the storm weren't present. Her eyes spotted two cups and a few bottles of wine and mead next to the makeshift bed.

Her eyes left the ground in favor of her wolf who had taken off her armor, now only standing with her common clothes on, the mere sight of it caused Serana to envy the woman's ability to stay unaffected by the weather. It was cozy, the way the light of the fire and the candles lit up the dark room, it made her feel warm. "So, this was your surprise?" She asked as she continued to look around them.

Khara guided Serana over to where the pillows and blankets were and spoke. "A part of it."

Serana sat down against the wall, but her wolf did not. "There's more?" Serana asked with a laugh. This was more than enough, this was lovely. She could see herself and the wolf sitting her for hours on end, just talking about all sorts of things.

Khara faced Serana and kneeled down, a charming smile on her lips as she did so. "There are three things left." She said. "The next one being me showing you something. The second being me asking you something, and if you say yes to the second, than the third is on you to fulfill."

Serana narrowed her eyes and she smiled a little confused, it sounded like the wolf was speaking in riddles. "Then let's begin."

Khara grinned like a madwoman as she grabbed Serana's arms and pulled her up and guided her to the middle of the room. She faced the woman towards the open wall, the one that showed the storm. She leaned closer, hand on shoulders and spoke with a quiet voice. "What do you see?" She asked, lips close to Serana's ear.

Serana took her time in answering that question, for there wasn't really much for her eyes to find. The clouds were black and grey, rain and snow poured down from them as lightning showed itself every now and then. "Not much, it's all so dark and, well, lacking." Lacking in colors, the storm before them blocked out the beauty that the night skies had to offer.

Khara hummed. "It's quite dull, isn't it?" She offered.

Serana tilted her head to the side, it was a good description of the sight. "Yeah."

"Cover your ears and close your eyes. Remember the sight before you." Khara said, and when Serana moved her hands to cover her ears, the wolf walked around her. She saw that those orange orbs were hidden from view and smiled. She turned towards the skies and closed her eyes as well.

She let the sound of her own breathing consume her as she meditated, as she collected her powers from deep within. She was about to use the shout that forced the weather to vanish, but she wanted it to fully clear the skies this time, she wanted to be able to see as far as possible. And if that was to happen, then she would need her shout to hold more strength behind them, more force. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth as she connected with her inner dragon, asking if she could tap into that power she so rarely used, to be able to summon the strongest of shouts.

The dragon flew around within her mind, answering her call, reacting to it. The way its claws scratched around, the way the sound of its wings echoed within was all the wolf could hear. She felt a heavy feeling settle in her chest and grow rapidly as she continued to let the divine power charge up. She felt her fingers tingle, she felt how her feet screamed at her to move due to all the unused energy flowing through her, she felt it all.

When the dragon within calmed down she knew it was time. She opened her eyes and felt how they burned in that bright blue color of theirs, she could feel the very heat of it. She stretched out her fingers, took on a strong stance and parted her lips. She inhaled deeply and let one of the most powerful shouts leave her. "LOK VAH KOOR!" She could feel it leave her, she could actually _feel_ it.

The thundering sound that followed was almost deafening to her ears. She was sure that all of Skyrim could hear it, but to them it would just sound like thunder. She caught up to her breath and turned around, Serana was still standing so very still, eyes still closed, ears still covered. She walked behind the woman and brought her hands up to cool arms. Slowly she removed the woman hands from where they were and whispered. "Open your eyes." She whispered as she moved to stand beside the woman. For a second the wolf was worried that she had made Serana deaf due to the level of noise her shout had produced, but relief washed over her when she saw the woman opening her eyes.

It was impossible not to look, to stare and admire the beautiful sight above her. How could something change so quickly and so drastically? Never before had she seen so much, there was so much color. There was green, purple, blue and orange, and there was endless more. This sight made even the most tended of noble gardens seem like nothing in comparison. She had seen paintings before with rich colors, but never had she seen the colors in the way that she is now, they were filled with life, energy and much, _much_ more.

She could see the endless amounts of stars behind the lights that moved like waves above them. She could see Masser and Secunda and how they so perfectly fitted into the picture her eyes were capturing. The clouds were gone, and it looked like they had been banished from the skies, for she looked around but saw none. And the wind, the wind was gone too, the only thing that filled her ears were that of the crackling fire behind her, that and the wolf's heartbeat which seemed to increase by each passing moment. Serana noticed it well and turned her head to face the wolf.

And when she looked at Khara's face she saw something different, something she had only been blessed of seeing only a few times. She knew that what she had just witnessed was nothing compared to what the wolf was about to say, what she was about to ask. She wasn't sure what it was that was making Khara look at her the way that she did, but she knew that she couldn't look away. For perhaps the first time in a long time, Serana was entranced with those blue orbs of light. She saw how the light in them faded until they were no longer there and she knew that something was about to happen, something _dreamlike_.

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter, it was more of a filler or a way to make the next chapter happen, which will be filled with a few things that I've wanted to write for a long time and I feel like that _now_ is the time to do it. I wanted to make Serana to have a longer conversation with her mother, but I just couldn't find a decent topic for them to talk about that would make a whole lot of sense. I find Valerica, all in all, to be a difficult character to write because I don't know a whole lot about her. Her past is filled with mist, her personality isn't all that clear for she doesn't have too much to say to us in the game. However, I can find something more for her in the future, I just need to put some time into it and do some research on her.

I'm sure most of you already know of what will happen in the next chapter, so I don't have the element of surprise which only means that I will have to make up for it with some interesting and pleasing conversation and writing I guess, I'll give it my best, I promise.

The next questline is still under work, but I have an idea of what where to take the story until it's finished and ready to be fully written down. I feel like it's time to touch some of Skyrim's other big quests and even though I might not complete them yet, I can still visit them and provide some information about them.

Also, for those of you who don't know, Masser and Secunda are the two moons that orbit Nirn. The more you know! 😊

That's all I have to say for now! Thank you for reading and I'll see you all in the next one, take care!

-Zep


	37. Chapter 37

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 37_

 _The foreseen Union_

 _To stand where I stand today, looking back at the past, I could never have foreseen this future. When I had fought and killed my first dovah, my first dragon, I never would have guessed that it would take me down this path. I've seen so much, met so many, and I don't think my journey through this world is even near its end yet. And the person I have become, I've changed so much. I've let this world and its inhabitants shower me with their influence and because of that, I am who I am. I've saved lives, I've taken lives. Given to those who needed it more than I did, even when I thought I had nothing. And I have stolen from those I thought wouldn't need it, I've brought shame on others to fill my own pockets._

 _But as time passed I became the one with influence over others, the tables did change. And with that came a responsibility, a duty that not many would take. I've learned that perfect is a fiction, and that it will never be achieved, at least during my stay on Nirn. But I have seen what comes as close to perfect as possible, I've been blessed to know what it looks like, what it feels like._

 _And I am thankful for the things that have happened, the good and the bad, for without it I wouldn't be able to stand where I stand now, right before her, ready to ask the biggest question of my existence._

With a shaking hand, Khara reached to one of her many pouches that hang on her belt. Her finger came in contact with the desired items and she carefully grabbed them, letting her palm act as a shield for the rings. She slowly brought the hand between herself and Serana. She was ready to speak, to let the words leave her, but it was so very difficult.

Her aspects tried to help her the best they could, the wolf was frozen. Khara's eyes fell to the ground as she took a few steps to the side, and then towards where all the blankets and pillows laid, ready to offer their comfort to whoever were willing to accept it. She swallowed and turned around, meeting Serana's gaze once more.

And Serana kept her silence, for she too was finding it hard to speak, to think or even move. But that didn't make it any less obvious that the wolf was having an even harder time. She could see that Khara was afraid, scared, but not unsure. Whatever the wolf was planning, it was something that she wanted dearly. And to see her lover in such a struggle gave Serana the strength needed to speak, to try and make the situation seem less frightening. "You've showed me the skies and the sea of stars beyond, you've shown me the lights that moves like waves on the ocean, you've shown me this and it's beautiful,-" She took the smallest of steps, coming closer to her wolf. "You can cross that off your list." She said with a smile which grew in size when the wolf released a small laugh. "So what's next?" Serana asked, eyes glued on the woman before her.

Khara's smile weakened, but still remained on her lips. Her eyes fell down to the side as she spoke softly, for she knew that she just needed to get this over with. Once the words were spoken, then it would be so much easier, she was sure of it. "Me, hopefully, taking an arrow in the knee." She said, but her words were low and quiet, and they were also weak, filled with fright and worry. But as those feeling entered her, she felt how her dragon and wolf aspect battled with them. _Look at her, goraan gein,_ her dragon whispered, knowing that if the wolf would only look into those orange orbs of the purest light again, that she would see that there was nothing to be afraid of, nothing to make her doubt herself.

And sure enough, Khara managed to hear her dragon's words. And she allowed herself to see those eyes again. It was clear that Serana had heard her words, because she was looking at Khara with a look of disbelief, like something wonderful was about to happen. And to see that look on her lover, to know that _she_ was the cause of it, it gave her all the strength needed to do the following.

She swallowed as she stood straighter, she breathed as she became calmer in her mind, but more excited in her heart. She squeezed her hand which were holding the jewelry and she nodded to herself. With the beat of her heart strong in her ears, she slowly descended down on one knee, because she was doing this the proper way. And as she moved down, she wondered if someone had casted a spell that bends time, for she felt like it took whole minutes before she felt the stone floor against her knee. She inhaled deeply as her eyes were still locked onto Serana's eyes, and while looking at the women in front, she slowly brought her hand higher.

Her shout had removed all the wind, but she still found it hard to move her hand. It felt like the rings were heavy as stone, like they had been enchanted. But she was strong enough, and when the hand were where it needed to be, then she finally spoke, breaking the silence. "You make everything worth it." Simple, short words, yet heavy for those who knew the meaning behind them. "Every day, every action, you make it all worth it." She swallowed, because she felt like she needed to say more. "And you're my sun, my dusk and dawn, my end and my beginning. I would do anything and everything to keep you, fight endless foes to protect you, and go where ever is needed to please you. Just being with you gives me something that no one else could ever offer, when I'm with you I feel _safe_." She released a short chuckle. "Even when I lose to you, it still feels like I'm winning, _that's_ how you make me feel." It…It didn't feel like enough, but if the wolf were to describe all that Serana meant to her, then they would be stuck in this tower till the end of time.

Khara saw how Serana's eyes were holding tears within them, along with endless amount of emotions and words. She saw how she was struggling to breathe, to stand still. She thought that she would do the woman a favor and just say it already.

" _Serana_ ,-" Her name, rolling of the wolf's tongue. Her name sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. Khara's voice made it overflow with meaning, with affection, devotion. Her mind were struggling to keep up with her thoughts, and the result of that was her not being able to keep them to herself for much longer. "Will you do me the honor-" It was like a storm inside her head, she couldn't hold her thoughts back. "And let me-." It just slipped.

"Yes." She froze, eyes watery as her breath were uneven. She was shocked over that she had just interrupted Khara, and that she had done it in this very moment.

The wolf too was shocked, but not for the same reason. She couldn't help but form a smile as she looked at Serana with a surprised expression. "I didn't get to finish." Serana saw her smile, she knew it. She was far from being angry at the woman, she could never be angry at her.

Serana placed a hand on her hip as the other came up to cover her mouth. With closed eyes she spoke. "You were too slow." She didn't know what else to say.

Khara let out a nervous laugh. "Are these things supposed to be rushed?" She asked as she tilted her head, trying to see if she could get Serana to open her eyes again.

She moved her hand that was covering her mouth a little. "I don't know…Just, just ask me again." _This is embarrassing._

Khara saw that Serana too was finding this hard, perhaps they shouldn't try and do this like others do, perhaps they should do this the way they would? Khara rose up and took the step needed to stand directly before Serana, only a few inches between them. One hand placed itself on Serana's shoulder as it made its way down to her hand, reveling in the feeling when their skin came in contact as it took a hold of the hand. Khara then brought her other hand, which were holding the rings, and brushed her finger against Serana's cheek. " _Dii lokal_ , we'll make it simple." She whispered as her forehead met Serana's. She felt Serana's other hand fall to her side and could now feel the woman's breath mix with her own.

 _Simple, how?_ These things were never to be simple, how could it be, what did her wolf mean by those words? Serana opened her eyes, and when she met non-glowing blue looking back at her, then she knew that she couldn't hide anymore. And she wondered what the wolf meant, and she was about to speak, but Khara beat her to it.

"Marry me." _Oh, that's what she meant._ It was simple, for she only needed to say one word. One short, simple and not at all complicated word. She just needed to open her mouth and let it out, she wanted this too. She wanted every morning to be filled with the wolf's scent and every night to be brimming with the wolf's warmth. She wanted it all, everything that the wolf could offer her, she wanted it. And Serana did hear what the wolf had asked, but she heard it in another way.

 _Let me hold you when the nights are cold and let me cherish you when the days are warm.  
Let me shower you with loving actions and drown you with words of the utmost affection. _

That is what she heard within those two words, that is what she saw, what she felt. And just like the question, the answer too was simple. " _Yes_." She said slowly, letting the words flow around them.

And Khara wasn't answering or saying anything for that matter, the wolf simply stood still. Her eyes widened a little bit, and if Serana hadn't been standing so close, then she wouldn't have noticed. Nothing was moving, the wolf stood still like she had been consumed by ice. But then, something happened. Khara moved her head back a little, still keeping their eyes connected. Her lips trembled at they struggled to form a smile, but her smile was fully there when she felt cool lips connect with hers.

Her hold on Serana tightened as their kiss turned more passionate, she couldn't remember if they had ever kissed like this before. They've had sweet kisses, hungry ones, soft, careful, uncertain, hard and delicate ones, but nothing quite like this one. It was familiar yet unknown. There was something new about it, but the wolf couldn't find the correct words to describe it. When she felt a smooth hand caress her neck, she smiled even more because Serana had given her answer. "Yeah?"

Serana smiled into the kiss too, how could she not? She hummed and broke the kiss as she nodded eagerly. "Yes,-" Another kiss. "Definitely,-" One more came. "Of course!" She laughed, they both did. She was wondering if it was possible to become paralyzed by just emotions alone, and if so, then she was sure she would fall down any minute now. And she wasn't worried about it, not in the slightest because she knew that her wolf would catch her if she did.

They weren't really kissing anymore, their lips just touched as they released laughs and chuckles. Serana placed her hands on the wolf's shoulder as she gently pushed her down onto the blankets, and as Khara sat down, Serana got on her lap.

Before they got lost in another dance by their lips, Khara remembered something, she still had the rings in her palm. "Wait." She whispered. The rings weren't where they should be, and the wolf needed to fix that.

Serana used her fangs to gently bite down on the wolf's lower lip as she moved back the slightest. " _What_?" She husked.

Khara inhaled deeply, eyes closed as she gathered herself. Those fangs made her words come out all wrong. "Wings." Is what it sounded like.

Serana stopped her games and pulled back. She looked at Khara with confusion as she had no idea why the wolf had just said that. She saw that Khara inhaled deeply before speaking again.

" _Rings_." She managed to say the words right this time as Serana's fangs were no longer on her. She still saw that Serana wasn't really with her on what she was talking about, so she brought her hand up between them and opened her palm, revealing two identical rings.

Khara's eyes were stuck on Serana, as Serana's eyes were stuck on the rings. She felt there was no magic within the jewelry currently resting in a warm palm. "No enchantments?" She asked, her lips supporting a small grin.

The wolf hummed before speaking. "They're symbolic." Khara said as she slowly reached for Serana's left hand. With great care and precision, she placed the ring on her forth finger. She smiled when she saw how perfectly it fitted, it was like it was meant to be. And when Serana did the same to her, well, something in her heart just exploded because this was something she thought she would never have the pleasure of doing, or at least that is what she would have thought before she met the woman before her.

With words unspoken, feelings on display and the silence around them, they both held onto the other. Serana hugged Khara as the wolf leaned back against the wall and they were quiet for quite some time. They held each other, reveling in the feeling of having the other close. And as time passed, they still sat still. Serana had moved so that she could lean back on Khara, a position that felt divine due to her wolf being so incredibly warm. Her eyes followed the waves of light while Khara rested hers. They talked and enjoyed a few cups of sweet mead and elegant wine as they sat an enjoyed the view.

"How many do you think there is?" Serana asked as her eyes moved from star to star.

Khara turned her head to the skies and wondered, it was quite the question. "Probably more than there are sand grains in the Alik'r Desert." When she heard no response from Serana she moved her head a little. She saw that Serana was looking at her own hand, the one that held the new ring, but also the one that was missing a finger. She couldn't tell what Serana was looking at, or maybe she was looking at both? And she couldn't see the woman's face, she didn't know if Serana was smiling or not, and it made her wonder.

Carefully she moved her left hand over to Serana's. When she was close, she moved it under the woman's open palm and stretched out her fingers, giving the illusion that Serana's hand still had all its parts.

The action was given a response, Khara was rewarded with a warm laugh. "You're too much at times." Serana said amused as she grabbed the hand and leaned her head back, eyes closed as she let the scent of fire enter her senses. She wondered if what they had just done was real in the eyes of the Gods. "Do you think the Gods approved of our little ceremony?" She asked with a slight smile as she felt Khara's nose against the back of her head.

"I have no idea, the Gods demands so much from us, from mortals." Khara said with honesty, she didn't know if the Gods had even seen what they had just done, but a small part of her hoped so.

Serana snuggled further into the warm embrace that her wolf offered. "You're right, it makes me wonder if we are the ones with the real power, you know?"

Khara tilted her head, something she so often did when she was confused or didn't grasp what the other was saying. "Explain?" She asked.

"Of course. I mean, the Gods demand us to pray to them, deliver them gifts and offerings and even sacrifices. They ask so much of us, it's almost like they depend on us." Serana explained. "It just makes me wonder if we, the mortals, are the ones with the real power." She said in a low voice, she was almost whispering, making sure that her words only reached the wolf's ears.

Khara smiled as she looked at the view, she squeezed around Serana as she spoke. "Don't let the Gods catch you saying that." She joked.

Serana chuckled. "Why do you think I'm whispering?" She was so comfortable in this moment. They had cried and laughed, talked and wondered, but there was still one thing that was missing and Serana knew what it was. "Is it time for the last part?" She asked.

Khara beamed over those words. "If you want. I'd love it, but you don't have to." The wolf assured, for she didn't want Serana to do something that she didn't want to do, but she was sure the woman had no worries of it.

"I don't mind. After all you've done, I feel like I have to do something too. But…I also want to." She said with a smile, the last time she had sung was such a long time ago, a time from when she was only a child. "However, I don't think I know any songs that fits with this moment."

"That's not important." Khara said. "Choose one that makes you feel something. If you feel the need, then change a few words."

Serana's smile fell when she remembered a song from her childhood. It could work, in a way. "I have one…But it's a sad song, a story, but it's beautiful." This song is one she heard when her parents were still somewhat decent people, it was from a good memory of hers. She cleared her throat before starting.

" _Life is like a road, you'll get lost at times  
But keep your cool, and your fire bright_

 _Get yourself a home, so you can be alright  
And take control, and hold on tight."_

Her voice was low and fragile, filled with unheard thoughts and feeling from a past almost forgotten. The way the words left her lips made the wolf stop all her other thoughts because she needed all of her focus to be on the sound of Serana's astonishing voice, she never would have believed that this is how she sounded when singing, it was so very fascinating.

" _For life is like a road, and you'll get lost at times  
And you'll get hurt, and learn from thy_

 _Feelings and failures  
Anger and hate  
Love and caress from a dear one's embrace."_

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against Khara's shoulder. Her voice gathering the strength to empower the words as she sang.

" _So come to my side, 'cause you said you were coming  
You hold on so tight, I can't keep it from falling  
It's over now, can you see the light?"_

She let the memories of the song fill her mind. And she remembered who had sung it so long ago, it was from a soldier who had lost his wife and only child, a man who had nothing left but to fight.

" _I take off your love, I shield my emotions  
I strengthen myself for I know what is coming  
I will fight for you, I will remember you."_

She remembered the look on his face when he had sung this song to her and her parents. His eyes were filled with grief and his voice was filled with anger.

" _I sharpen my blade, I take on my armor  
I'll march to the war, and I'll fight for our honor."_

She remember that he had said that he was going to battle, and that he had no desire to return from it because he whished to be with his beloved family once more.

" _I fall to the ground, the coldness is coming  
I bleed from my heart, 'cause my weakness is humming._

 _I'll meet you there, where there is no fear  
In the afterlife, my dear."_

She opened her eyes and realized that her eyes were watery, for she remembers the man coming inside the castle to sing and she remembers seeing him leave, but she doesn't remember seeing him return. He was a tall and strong Nord, and from what she remembers, he was also a kind man. She didn't understand his song when she was a child, but now…Now she can see it, feel it and understand it better than most.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" The surprised voice of Khara asked. "And that song, it was…It was like it was alive, beating and breathing around me as you sung it." She was at a loss of words, she didn't know what else to say. A song with such strong and rich words had never passed the wolf's ears before, and to have it sung by Serana made it even more memorable.

"I used to sing when I was little, when I thought life was one long journey of everything but hardship. And for the song, I heard it long ago by a soldier." Serana told her.

"It was _beautiful_. You and the song." She would make sure to remember the lyrics and see if she can't make the Bards College write it down, for it was truly amazing and it deserved to be known. "Makes me want to marry you again." She mumbled as she snuggled into Serana's hair.

Serana snorted as she turned her head to the side, she wanted to see those eyes. And when she turned, Khara gave her enough room to see those blue orbs of hers. To just look at each other made their stomachs flutter, made their throats feel dry. They felt how their skin screamed at them to be reunited, how their hands needed to hold the other's, how their lips trembled at being so close, yet not close enough to do their delicate dance that they had gotten so exceptional at. Everything that was _them_ demanded to feel the other.

"How about we travel to Solitude?" Khara offered, the thought of being back home with Serana sounded incredibly good in her mind.

Serana was wondering if the name of the capitol of Skyrim was cursed by something or someone, because every time they had mentioned it in the past, something had come up. But the look Khara was giving her told her that this time, if something happened, then the world would have to just wait. "It's about time, isn't it?" She whispered back.

Khara smiled as she nodded, it was about time.

* * *

As they walked through the streets of Solitude, Khara noticed all the eyes falling to Serana's hand. Her ring was well visible, and it shone like the brightest star on the night sky. It filled her with delight knowing that those people could look all they want, but never do anything about it. Serana was _hers,_ absolutely, wholly and fully _hers_. And even though she had her own hands in her pockets, hidden from view, she saw how those eyes didn't linger once they spotted the ring on the woman's hand. It was like a warning, like a sign that said _off limits_ , Khara smiled and shook her head at herself. It just, it felt amazing.

They hadn't called for Odahviing once they decided to get to Solitude, for once, they wanted to travel on foot and horseback. There was just the feeling they both shared that did it, they knew that they had more than enough time, they didn't need to rush. For once, time was on their side, it was an ally, a friend.

To travel through Skyrim is something that they had both done many times now, yet there was something different this time around, it felt different, but in the most wonderful way. Everything was enhanced for them. The flowers that had been spotted shone with the brightest colors, and their scent was like a delicate touch to their noses. Skyrim, which were normally so grey and filled with dread had completely transformed in their eyes, the land itself seemed like it had been enchanted by the most powerful mages known to Nirn. It was the same, but they saw it with new eyes, and that made all the difference.

And so here they stood before Proudspire Manor, their house, their home. The lock was swiftly defeated by the wolf and when they were both inside, secure and safe, they exhaled. They locked the door and got their armor and weapons off. They had spent most of the night and day traveling, and so the sun was setting once more. Khara walked over to a window and admired the color that the sky endorsed. To just see that color on the skies made her heart swell, for she knew where else she could find it.

Serana placed her sword next to Khara's on the table and looked to where the wolf stood still. She could see how the wolf's lips were supporting the smallest and most delicate of smiles. She could see how the faint glow in Khara's eyes faded as she continued to admire the outside. And that, that made Serana just fall that much more for her wolf. She guessed that the setting sun affected Khara just like blue lights affected her, they were both forced to pay extra attention to those colors as it held so much meaning to the both of them.

Her eyes then fell to a bucket close to the door, it was filled with letters. She saw how there was a small whole on the door, which is where the letter must have come from, that or the person who delivered these letters has the key to the manor. There were a few of them, around ten perhaps? She grabbed them and walked over to the table where she placed them. "You sure are popular." She mused as she counted the letters.

Khara turned to her and spotted the little pile of paper, the sight alone caused her aspects to growl, but the wolf had a master plan to fix this. She walked over to deal with the letters, to make herself and her aspects calm down. "There are probably one too many jobs written down on them…" She said as she now stood next to Serana.

"Yeah, we can deal with them?" Serana asked, she didn't want to, but she knew that Khara found it hard to not offer her aid to those who needed it. And she was sure that at least one of these letters contained just such a plea.

"Oh, I'll deal with them, don't you worry." Khara said as she grabbed Serana's cloak that hang over a chair and placed it over the letters. "There, all gone." She said pleased with herself. No piece of paper were going to interrupt them this time, no matter who it was from. She turned to Serana who was looking like she liked the wolf's actions. "Bath?" She asked, they could both need it, and her legs felt a little sore due to all the walking they had done and her back wasn't doing much better. Taking a warm, long bath would be good for them _and_ feel fantastic, if not amazing. But not only would it feel good, but it would also help recharge them. For they were tired and their muscles could use a break.

Serana practically dragged Khara down with her and into the room which held the warm water that would soon embrace them with its warm touch. And when they entered it, they felt a shiver flow through them, because the feeling of the water caught them off guard, it was divine. They sat down in the corner, where they had sat before, and Khara's head found Serana's shoulder as they both enjoyed this first part of their little vacation. They were back to their little bubble, their little part of the world.

Minutes turned into hours and they were yet to get tired of the water's warm embrace. "How long…" Serana mumbled, how long would they stay here, in Solitude?

Khara smiled lazily. "Till we get bored." Khara answered as she placed a kiss on Serana's neck. "We've done so much, we deserve this." She reasoned as an arm found its way around Serana's waist.

Serana's smile turned into a smirk over hearing the wolf's words. "The world will be fine without us for a few days." She added as she turned her head a little more towards Khara. The wolf moved her head a little a she was now fully worshipping that wonderful smooth, cool skin.

Khara released something between a hum and a growl. "My thoughts exactly." Her hand traveled higher. Her nose followed Serana's jaw before going higher so that their lips could meet. And as their lips met, Khara inhaled sharply through her nose. This was something that would never change, the electricity that could be felt. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water, it woke her and her body up. She felt refreshed and recharged. And with that came the possibility to do so _much_ , so many things and acts of devotion, of love. So many different things raced through her mind, so many different pictures of her and Serana, caught up in intimate acts and positions.

Khara didn't know if their marriage was _real_ in the eyes of the Gods, and she didn't even bother to care about it. For her and Serana, for them they were married, bond together for all eternity, and that was more than enough. "There are so many things I wish to do to you right now…" She husked as she got lost in her feelings. "So pardon me if I try to make all of them happen at once." Her words must have activated something in Serana, for she kissed her back more deeply now.

Serana moved her lips from Khara's and dragged them over to her ear, making sure to take her sweet time in doing so as she placed wet kisses along the way. "You can do whatever you want,-" She gently bit and tugged the wolf's earlobe. "Just know that if you have _your_ way, then I will have _mine_." She whispered, and it didn't sound like a warning any more than is sounded like a promise, and that caused a feeling of excitement to enter the wolf.

Khara shivered, words had never been spoken with such intensity. The feeling alone demanded Khara just ravage the woman here and now, but she had other plans. What she was about to do to Serana could never be done with haste, and so she had to calm her more animalistic urges for the moment. She couldn't think of it anymore, she needed to say it, to _do_ it. "I want to take you upstairs,-" She gave Serana a few more kisses before remembering that she was in the middle of a sentence. "And I want to make love to you, my _wife_." _I want to worship you, to send you to the most wonderful places, to give you the most wonderful feelings I can offer,_ Khara continued in her mind, and with her being so focused on Serana, she managed to let the thoughts slip her mind and enter Serana's.

And upon hearing those unspoken words Serana's heart grew in size, her thoughts and desires of having the wolf struggling to breathe underneath her vanished and was replace with something else, something much more tender. And she was about to act, but she then remembered that Khara had spoken first, and so she would let her wolf have her wish, she would always let her have her wish.

It humored her how easily she could distract her wolf with a few touches alone. "Keep your eyes closed." She whispered and she knew that the wolf would obey.

With a smirk on her lips she climbed out of the bath, for if she stayed, then she knew that they would never make it to the bedroom. She didn't even bother to grab a towel as she knew that all the windows up to her destination were covered. She let her eyes fall on Khara one last time before she left the room. "I'll be waiting." She said seductively.

And blue eyes popped open over hearing the words. Her ears picked up the sound of wet feet climbing the two sets of stairs. With a grin on her lips she climbed out of the bath. She however, did grab a towel and dried off before leaving the room. As she got closer to their bedroom she felt how her fingers failed to hold the towel around her warm body. She felt how her heart prepared itself for the feelings it would soon receive, and offer.

And when she finally got to the bedroom she spotted Serna right away, wrapped in a thick blanket. "Why are you under there?" Khara laughed out as she got closer.

"I didn't really think it through, I got cold." She answered as she shrugged her shoulders, a sweet smile at her lips as she spoke.

Khara hummed as she entered the bed. "I can help you with that." She said as she leaned down, Serana had already moved the blanket and were welcoming the woman with open arms.

Serana felt the warmness from Khara's body settle in her bones, it was a feeling she hoped she would never really get used to, for every time that it happened, it caused her to feel a shiver of pure bliss enter her.

Their lips met yet again, and Khara's warm and dry skin felt like fire against Serana's cold and wet skin, but it didn't hurt in the slightest, it never could. It only caused that flame deep within to flare up, demanding more to fuel it, and both knew just how to do that.

And when Serana felt that warm body press a little harder against her, she felt that shiver travel to her lower stomach, and there it stayed for now, teasing and promising what feelings she would be rewarded with is she could reach it. She felt how her own body responded to the wolf's actions, and it was surprising to see and feel just how well Khara knew her body. Every touch were perfectly timed, not too long, not too short. The right amount of pressure at all the right places, and to feel the wolf's breath against her skin made her body prepare itself for the next impact. She felt how her own legs weakened as that feeling in her stomach increased. And just before she was about to do something, say something, Khara placed a hand on her cheek.

She kissed her more deeply now, but also with more desire than before. She could feel a hand close to her thighs and how it moved them apart. And as the hot breath left her lips and moved down to her throat, Khara pressed her thigh against her most delicate part. And if Serana wasn't too busy holding onto Khara and moaning, then she would have praised the wolf for being able to build her up like this. She just made sure to remember to reward Khara with something later, because right now, she was unable to think of the future or the past for that matter, she could only focus on the _here_ and _now_.

Khara continued the slow yet strong movement of her leg as she sucked over Serana's pulse point. The smell of their arousal only caused her to double her efforts, she wanted Serana to feel how she made her feel, she wanted to try and repay her for the blessed feelings she made the wolf feel. And with all of her focus on the other woman, she felt herself release a warmth, one that was only for Serana. " _I love you_." She husked as she moved her thigh and replaced it with her hand. " _I love your body and how it responds to mine_." Her finger came in contact with soft, wet flesh. It filled her with want.

" _Khara_." Serana gasped her name, but failed to let other words leave her. She could only hold on as the wolf had her way.

It felt wonderful to know that she was the reason for her name to be said in such a powerful way. She entered Serana and used her entire body in aiding her hand to make Serana feel like she is floating. " _I love your mind and how it works."_ Her lips followed the thin skin above Serana's collarbone.

She could feel how Serana was beginning to squirm beneath her, and she knew well what it meant. She would never grow tired of this, of being this intimate with the woman she loved. There was always something new and exciting, yet also something old and familiar. To be able to explore the other in such a way, it made her heart swell at the amount of trust they had placed in each other. Trust like this is like a golden key to one's heart, it's so strong yet easily shattered. It's so pure yet easily blemished, as strong as the howling wind. There's no doubt about it, it is truly what Khara had ever wanted. And the feeling of knowing that Serana had given it to her, it made her explode.

She moved her fangs over to a cool neck before sinking them down into the flesh. At the same time her thumb found its place on Serana's most sensitive part as she also let those warm feelings of love hover around them. She was doing everything she knew she could do that showed how she felt. She could only hope that Serana could feel the size of it, and by the sound of the deep, strangled moan she was releasing, it made Khara sure that she felt it, all of it. The wolf also received the feelings that Serana was currently handling within her, but the wolf was strong and she wouldn't let it distract her.

And with all of her actions combined, Serana was well on her way to paradise. Her flame was released, her body was filled with an exploding warmth and her heart was welcoming the endless amount of waves of pure ecstasy that pumped through her body. This was different from before, because they had made love before, they had felt absolutely beyond wonderful before, but this? This was different. She felt like she had run for miles, yet her feet felt fine. Her breath was struggling to inhale enough air, and the electricity that she felt? It was nowhere near close to ending its tour throughout her body. Her legs shook when the feeling entered them, something that had never happened before.

As she slowly came back to her senses, she could feel the move of warm lips against her cheek, slowly bringing her back to her wolf. With the little strength she had left she rolled them over, she pressed her body against Khara's as she found the warm and comfortable skin that was the wolf's neck. There was so much she wanted to do, so much she _needed_ to do, but she lacked the energy. Her spirit was willing but her flesh was weak, but luckily for her, she knew just how to get the energy needed to continue. And as if Khara knew her thoughts, the wolf turned her head to the side, offering her all the room she would ever need.

She let her fangs sink into the wolf's neck, and she savored every sip of blood that entered her mouth. She savored it like it was the very last meal she would ever have, but she didn't do it because it was her last, she did it because she knew just how delicious it would feel for the both of them. She used her tongue, her lips and her entire body as she drank. She let her hands caress the warm skin as she fed, and by the moans she received, she knew she was doing it right.

She thought that she had forsaken these feelings when she had become a vampire in the way that she did all that time ago, but it would seem that all of her pain, all of her hardship and struggles had been rewarded when she had met Khara. If she didn't know better, then she would have thought that the Gods themselves had given her the wolf, but she knew that what they had was something the Gods had no power over. This was all them, all her and her lover.

She wanted to express how she felt, in more ways that she thought possible. She wanted to say it, to speak the words, but Khara was always the better of the two when it came to words, but she gave it her best shot. She removed her fangs and made the flow of blood stop. "To have my memories stripped from me, to have you taken from my mind…-" She furrowed her brows over the pain it caused to think of a future without Khara in it. "It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced." But that pain was quickly replaced with pleasure and happiness. "But where my mind was lacking, my body filled in the blanks." She fully relaxed in the wolf's embrace. "I still remember how your skin felt against my own and how you always shiver when I do this." She let her fangs run over the abused skin and sure enough, the wolf shivered over the feeling. Serana smiled as she continued. "And I remember how your heart skips a beat when I do this." She pressed herself harder against Khara, making the wolf's heart increase its speed. "Or how your breath hitch when I do this…" She let a hand travel over to Khara's breast. The wolf responded to all of her actions as she remembered and that alone made her move back and kiss her wolf senseless, something that she was so very good at.

She wanted to repay the wolf, but at the same time she wanted to have both hands roaming the warm body under her. She moved one of her legs to go under one of Khara's while the other went over the wolf's other leg. With a hand she moved the wolf's leg over her waist. " _Keep it there_." She husked into Khara's ear.

And Khara nodded as she released a whimper, she knew what was about to happen. They had done this once before, and it was one of the most incredible things they had ever done while being together like this.

Serana felt like she could go on forever, she had all the energy she could ever need, and what better way to use all that energy but on her wolf? She lowered herself fully against Khara, letting all of their parts meet.

And just like their previous act of affection, this too was filled with slow, gentle movements. Movements that needed to be executed with such care and precision to fulfill the desired reaction. Serana handled her wolf like she was the most delicate thing she had ever touched. Every touch created a reaction, ever sound were answered and when their eyes connected, all of those things became more intense for the two.

Serana had always wondered what happiness was, what was the perfect words to describe it. And in this very moment, she knew the word that would perfectly capture the meaning. _Time_ , time was happiness. That after all of the tings that needed to be done, to know that there was still more than enough time to do as she wished, and with whom, that was happiness to her. To be able to lay next to Khara, knowing that they could do so for as long as their hearts desired was happiness. And upon finding this out, she moved her body harder against her wolf.

To lay underneath the one person who is everything to her, to be able to just lay as still as possible and receive all of these sensations, feelings and passionate thoughts made Khara wish that she never had to leave. She wanted to force time to stop so that she could relive this moment until she could no longer breathe. The flame deep within her was about to spread throughout her body like wildfire, she had no power over it, it was all in Serana's hands. She had given her all to the woman over her, and if given the chance, she would have done it all again, and again and again until time ceased to stop.

This right here, what they had was something that Khara had feared for most of her time in Skyrim. To become so entranced with another person, that was her biggest fear for a long time. She would do anything for Serana, _anything_. She would climb the highest mountain, travel the longest road, sail over the widest sea and stop at nothing to do as her lover wished. No nation nor army could keep her from doing it, she knew it in her heart.

The feel of having cool hands and lips on her made that flame release it's hidden power. And for a time, Khara thought that she had become paralyzed, for she could not feel her legs. But as she opened her eyes and looked deeply into those orange glowing eyes, she was slowly brought back to her senses.

Their legs were entangles due to the need to be as close as possible. Their arms held onto the other like there was an invisible force just waiting to pull them away. Their chests laid against each other as their hearts beat in their own little rhythm and their minds were filled with so many thoughts that they had no chance in speaking them out loud, it would take too long.

In this moment, in this very bed inside this building, they were home.

* * *

 **Dovahzul Translations:**

 **Khara:** Dii lokal. **– My love.**

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

I have an idea of how to involve the civil war into the story, it may be the next thing that comes after the girls are done in Solitude. Still working on the next questline, but I'm progressing with it. As for this chapter, I didn't feel like it would be right to have a priest or another person or dovah to marry the two of them. Just like everything else, I want them to do it their way, and for me _this_ was the way to do it.

I tried to find a decent song for Serana to sing, but found none so I just made one myself. I'm looking forward to the next chapters as I have a lot of ideas for interesting dialogue between a few characters. Over the last few days I've felt the need to revisit Markarth increase, so perhaps after the civil war have been written I can take the story in that direction and hopefully by the time that's done, the next questline will be ready to go.

Thanks guys and gals for reviewing, it's awesome that you do it. And for this story to be over a year old….I mean just WOW it's so cool that some of you have been with me from almost the beginning. This whole story started as some to do in my free time, but it had turned into something much bigger. Thank you.

-Zep


	38. Chapter 38

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 38_

 _In Control_

Khara slowly woke up, her body felt sore and she loved it, because she knew why it felt that way. She wasn't too warm, and the way the blanket covered her felt like it was made of the most expensive silk. She inhaled deeply and grinned to herself at the scent that hit her, Serana's scent, the scent of home. She stretched herself as she laid on her back, but why were her hands so difficult to move?

With a light furrow on her brows she moved her head to see what was causing her hands to be unable to move much. She became even more confused when she saw that they were tied together to the headboard. _What the…?_ Her eyes fell to her feet, they were still free as ever. She could also see something standing in the door frame. She focused her still tired eyes and focused on it, but what she saw were no object, not even close.

Serana was leaning against the doorframe as the wolf's eyes found hers, her smile full of mischief. She saw how many different looks that flew over Khara's face. Confusion came first, then joy before it changed to wonder, and then quickly followed by something entirely different. She smirked when she saw that the wolf might have a slight idea of what was happening. "There you go." She said lowly to confirm the wolf's thoughts. She made her way over to the bed, making sure to take her sweet time as she didn't need to look at Khara to know that the woman's eyes were locked on her.

With each step she took, she could hear the wolf's heartbeat, it was almost like it beat in sync with the movement of her feet. She came to the end of the bed and when she did, she gently dragged the blanket off Khara's body, making sure to take her time in doing that as well.

The wolf's muscles tightened when she felt the soft material travel down her body, Serana moved it in such a delicate way, it felt like the woman was already touching her. Her palms closed themselves and her heart began to beat faster due to all the thoughts of what was to come entered her mind. Her mouth felt dry as she saw those orange eyes looking back down at her, and they looked beyond starved, but it wasn't blood that they hungered for, no, they were on the hunt for something much more, and Khara had never been so glad to be a pray in her entire life.

Serana's eyes followed the blanket as she let it fall off the bed, she then looked back up and let her eyes wander over the newly exposed skin. Her eyes found scars of all shapes and sizes, but she couldn't help but find them beautiful. She felt a feeling in her body and smiled, she would always smile when she felt it, it was impossible not to.

She moved to sit next to the wolf's legs as she ran some fingers over the smooth, warm skin. "I really hope that you didn't think that last night was all there was." Her eyes followed her hand as it moved higher, its speed was pure torture. "For I certainly didn't." The shirt she was wearing was doing a poor job at covering her shoulders, and so she took it off. She straddled her wolf and let a faint smile be shown as she continued to let her eyes go wherever they wanted to go, she was already enjoying this far more than she thought she would, and she hadn't really started yet. She was leaning closer to the wolf now. "I was planning on tying down your legs too, but that wouldn't really work out with what I have planned." She leaned down and whispered into the wolf's ear. "I still need them to be somewhat flexible." She moved back the tiniest bit and looked to her side, she saw how the wolf's lips were trembling.

Her hands ran slowly up Khara's body, her lips dragging themselves higher, the parts that touched created electricity. The way it felt, sounded and smelled caused the wolf's arms to shake as a shiver of pure bliss came over her, she so badly wanted her hands to roam that wonderful skin, to feel it. "Don't you shackle in my embrace, Khara." Serana whispered with such care as she began to worship the woman's neck.

And the wolf whimpered and swallowed, because she could already feel so much, and yet there was still so much more to come. If she passed out she wouldn't be surprised, she just prayed that it wouldn't happen because this was something she would like to remember till the end of time.

Serana then sat up a little and pondered on how she were to remove the piece of clothing that was covering Khara's breasts. "I didn't really think this one through…" Serana said as she let a finger trail the edges of the material she wished were gone. Khara must have gone down while she slept and done… _Something,_ because she had all of her undergarments on again. She was glad though, the wolf have gotten back into bed with her, something that Serana _really_ appreciated.

Khara looked down and grinned. "Guess you'll just have to untie me." She said as she wiggled her body.

Serana placed a hand on Khara's chest and leaned closer, close enough for her breath to reach the wolf's lips, but not close enough for Khara to be able to reach those wonderful soft lips herself. "Not going to happen." She said with a loving smile as she gently shook her head. As her lips were keeping the wolf distracted, she moved her hands over to the clothing they were currently talking about. Her hands snaked onto the wolf's shoulders and under the straps, and ever so carefully, Serana _unfortunately_ managed to make them snap.

Khara's eyes fell down again as she now saw what Serana had done, she then looked back up to those orbs of orange.

Serana shrugged her shoulder at the same time as she spoke. "I'm so terribly sorry for that." The wolf would've believed her, but Serana had a grin firmly planted on her lips as she spoke, she wasn't sorry, not at all.

Cool hands went lower and lower until they reached the wolf's waist, and as she did so she leaned even closer to those warm awaiting lips. " _Serana_." Khara whined, they were so close yet so far away, never before had mere inches felt like miles.

Serana leaned closer yet, noses touched as she gently hushed the wolf. " _Help me_." She whispered with a smile as she tugged at the last piece that remained of the woman beneath. And with the help of the wolf, she was able to remove it with ease.

She leaned back and sat straight, and as she did so she wondered. Was this what the wolf felt like whenever she ventured into a dungeon of forgotten origin and found treasure? Was this what it felt like to find something valuable and priceless? She couldn't help but think so, because her eyes laid on the one thing, the one person that she valued higher than life itself.

A cool hand found a warm cheek as Serana leaned closer, and just like a hunter on the search for his price, she claimed hers.

When she decided to do this, to tie her wolf down, she had plans to be anything but gentle, but plans could change, for the way Khara kissed her so softly made her only want to return the gentle gesture. With her previous plans forgotten, she didn't even realize that she was lowering her body, but she became aware of it when she felt that feeling return as it always does when their skin came together in their gentle, yet intense dance. She became aware of it when Khara inhaled sharply through her nose, she became aware when the wolf channeled her warmth into the very core of her heart.

After what felt like hours, Serana finally realized what was happening, or perhaps what was lacking. She removed her lips from Khara's and smiled bashfully when the wolf protested. "You're distracting me." She whispered, eyes still closed as she moved to shower the wolf's jaw, cheek and neck with her love.

Khara turned her head to the side, allowing Serana more room to work with. "I'm so terribly sorry for that." She whispered, her voice filled with want. However, the wolf still managed to say the words with a smirk firmly placed on her lips, she did love to use Serana's words against her.

"Do you really think it's wise to use my own words against me, now of all times?" She asked amused as she continued to slowly make her way lower. "When I have the power to do so much to you…-" Her lips were on her collarbone as one hand was on the inside of the wolf's tight, reaching ever so closer to where the wolf was so patiently awaiting for her touch. "To do so little?"

Khara whimpered and Serana decided to finally give into her urges, her desires. She wanted four things in this moment. First things first, she wanted to feel the length of the wolf's body against her own, which was simple to fulfil. The second thing she wanted, that she needed was to have their lips connected, and this to was simple to make happen. Now the third was perhaps something that her wolf wanted a little more than she did, but she wanted it too, to feel the woman's most intimate part. And the fourth and the last thing she wanted was to experiment, to do something that she was sure would be most welcomed by the wolf.

Her hand was tracing small cycles on the inside of the wolf's thigh now, making Khara squirm. She smirked as she got a little closer to Khara's ear. "So, what do you want me to do?" She asked, her voice filled with amusement.

" _Gods_ , whatever you want." Khara whined as she was forced to shut her eyes, Serana's fingers were torture, the enjoyable kind.

Serana grinned and hovered over Khara's lips. " _Good_." She wanted this to last for as long as possible, so she removed her hand and replaced it with her thigh, and when it came in contact with that soft, wet flesh, she groaned as one hand gripped Khara's shoulder while the other came up to massage her breast. Her lips were drawn to that delicate neck as she felt a raw need within her to feel the skin, with both lips and fangs, and maybe a little tongue too. This was perfect, to be able to fully explore the wolf's body without getting distracted from smooth hands or warm lips. Khara was by no doubts enjoying this very much, but Serana wondered if she was the one to have the most fun in this moment.

And as she pressed her leg harder against the wolf's center, she slowly let her fangs come closer to their destination. When the time came, she moved her leg and let her fingers run through wet folds while also sinking her fangs into Khara's neck. Her actions earned her endless amounts of moans and groans from the woman beneath her. She felt how the wolf's legs moved around, trying to keep up with all the feelings flowing through them. She felt how the wolf's chest rose and fell faster now, and she could even feel the beat of her heart. And she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy this herself, because she did, she enjoyed it _so_ much.

And while Serana had her way, Khara was only able to try and keep up, for the things she felt was unreal and simply too much for her. She didn't know how to speak, only sounds came out of her. She couldn't move much, her arms were tied and her legs were useless as they moved around like headless chickens. But she felt herself coming closer to that glorious feeling, that feeling that would make her feel beyond amazing. And as it ever so slowly crept closer, she felt her muscles prepare themselves for the impact. Her arms flexed and tugged as they moved, desperate to be set free so that they could hold the person who was responsible for all she currently felt. And when Serana removed her fangs and dragged her tongue over her neck while also reaching further within her, well…She didn't mean to, but it was simply too much.

The sound of something snapping caught her attention, and only a second later warm hands brought her lips onto warm ones. She chuckled over what Khara had just done but didn't let it stop her current task.

Khara could only hold on as Serana continued to move her entire body against hers. It was hypnotizing, memorizing, captivating, it was absolutely _everything_. She managed to get her lips to Serana's neck, and the way she could hear the woman's breath now, it just took completely over.

Serana moved a little and dragged her lips up Khara's neck, captured the wolf's earlobe between her lips and gently pressed her fangs against the soft flesh at the very same time as she curled her fingers. She placed openmouthed kissed below the wolf's ear and she heard how the wolf's breath came out more ragged for each time she moved her hand.

Time simply slowed down. For the feelings inside could no longer be held back, they needed to be set free. And when their lips met yet again, that feeling of pure electricity could be felt, it was almost like it had never left them. It was like ice and fire, and it was about how two so different things could turn into something so similar, something so alike. And the feeling, the pure feeling that came with that touch was unlike anything else in this world. It was so raw and full of power than nothing could even compare to it, nothing came even close. For in that feeling laid so much, like loyalty, companionship, love, dedication, trust, honesty, and the list just goes on and on, it had no limits, no ends.

The warmth that collided with the cool skin only caused that feeling to increase, to grow in size. There was nothing else to do but to welcome it with open arms. It was paradise, it was so very close to perfection.

And suddenly the wolf stopped breathing completely, her heartbeat surprisingly slow yet extremely strong. She felt like she was about to fall through this world, and that she would float above it. She needed something, someone to keep her where she wanted to be, and that was right here in this very bed.

Serana removed her hand and moved a little to the side to get a better view of the wolf's face. She herself felt wonderful in that moment, her body was buzzing in the most amazing ways. She saw how the wolf's lips were parted and how those eyes, which she loved, were staring at the cealing. And then, finally, Khara breathed again.

The wolf just laid there, speechless and quiet, unable to form words or sounds. She couldn't remember ever feeling this content, this pleased with how things were. It was simple, but it caused her eyes to water. Slowly she turned her head to the side, she needed to connect with those orange orbs. And when their eye met, Khara just stared at her.

Serana couldn't help but smirk. "That good, huh?" She asked pleased as she ran a finger up the wolf's chest.

Khara only chuckled as she rolled onto her side, head hidden as it was being swallowed by the pillow. "Better." She mumbled. What they had just done, what Serana had just done to her felt incredible. To be unable to move much while being showered with such love, it felt so _good_. The comfortable embrace of her bed felt divine in this moment, she wanted to stay here forever. She continued to roll over so that she was laying on her stomach, her back completely exposed to the other woman.

Serana grinned as she moved to lay on the wolf's back, lips close to Khara's ear as she spoke. "What was that?" She wanted to hear it, to fully hear it.

Khara turned her head to the side. "I liked it very much…" She whispered with a smile, eyes closed as she didn't need her eyes in order to see just how pleased Serana was.

"So, you wouldn't be against it if it happened again?" Serana asked as she caressed Khara's shoulder. _Just say it._

"I think that if it were to happen again, then it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing." _I'm not going to say it._ Khara rolled around underneath Serana so that they faced each other.

Serana raised an eyebrow. She grabbed both of Khara's wrists as she moved to sit on the wolf's waist. She didn't have a hard grip on the wolf, but a firm one nonetheless. Her eyes challenged the wolf, she wanted to hear the words, but Khara only bit her lip. "If you just say it then this will all be over."

Khara laughed. "Why would I do that? I happen to like this position very much." She said with a clever smile.

Serana saw that her wolf was so very pleased with herself, but Serana had a plan. She kept her hands close to her thighs as she continued to hold the wolf's hands hostage. She let her eyes roam the wolf's body, her smooth, warm body. Her captivating face, her strong and delicate neck, her beautiful breasts, her stomach, _gods_ her stomach. The muscles that were underneath that skin, and how it flexed when she moved. She felt herself become more and more aware of just how beautiful her wolf is, and it caused her to feel all kinds of things, one of those feelings just happened to settle between her legs. _There we go,_ Serana smirked as she found the wolf's eyes, and with all of her power, she focused on sending those feelings and sensations to her beloved wolf.

Khara's eyes widened as she felt that warmth enter her and settle low in her stomach, and even lower. She tried to move her legs, but Serana's legs were making it difficult. She tried the same with her arms, but Serana had them too.

"Just say it and it'll all be over." Serana sang with a smirk.

Khara groaned as she squirmed in Serana's hold, this woman were evil at times. "Serana…" She begged, she really didn't want to say it.

Serana released a seductive chuckle as she moved her waist around in circular movements, adding a little pressure here and there. She leaned down, putting the wolf's arms above Khara's head as she continued to hold on to them, and went straight for Khara's neck. "Just say it." She whispered hotly next to the wolf's ear.

Khara closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, she couldn't hold it back no more. "I liked it…-" She turned her head and her nose met dark hair, and that scent. She inhaled before continuing. "I liked you being on top of me…" She swallowed, Serana hadn't stopped her movements and her entire body screamed at her. She wasn't planning on saying anything else, but in the second she felt those fangs she knew she had lost. "I _loved_ it." She panted, she could feel her wolf aspect starting to howl in her mind, it too had something it wanted to say. "Me being tied down, having you do whatever you desired to me." She bit her lower lip, this was too much. And when Serana pressed down one last time, she got lost. And as that wave of unexpected pleasure came over her, her wolf aspect took over in her moment of weakness. "I loved submitting myself to your dominance!" Khara screamed out, but those words were her wolf aspect's ones, not hers, she would never have said it.

She felt how Serana completely stopped her movements and leaned back, looking at Khara with wide eyes, that and a pleased expression on her face. This was more than she thought she would manage to get out of her wolf, _this_ was very pleasant.

Khara kept her eyes closed, _now_ she would never hear the end of it. "No..." _Why? Why would you say that?_ Khara asked her inner wolf who only whimpered and ran away with its tail between its legs. This rarely happened, that her aspects managed to speak, and of course her wolf spoke now of all times.

"Submitting yourself to my _dominance_?" Serana asked with a laugh, her wolf made it sound so _animalistic_ , but Serana wouldn't say it was a bad thing. The feeling currently growing in her chest was unknown to her, she had never really felt it before, but she enjoyed it, dominance. She rolled off of Khara and laid on her back, a grin firmly planted on her face.

Khara was too afraid to look at her, she didn't want to see. _She_ was the dominant one, she was! She is a Dovah, as strong as the skies are tall. She is a wolf, as mighty as they come, her strength and endurance were unmatched. She is a Nord, a brute of a human born and bred by the cold, harsh weather of Skyrim. And yet, she just gave all of that up in her moment of weakness. "Serana?" She asked, her voice as low as she could manage.

Serana placed both hands behind her head as she hummed, letting Khara know that she was listening.

"What _happens_ in the bedroom, _stays_ in the bedroom." Khara said, the tone of her voice left no room for it to be discussed.

And that was a fair deal, Serana agreed on it as she hummed again. What happens in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom. Serana was fine with that, but the wolf hadn't said anything about teasing her about it and _that_ was something Serana would take full advantage of in the near future. Being as happy and pleased as she was in this moment, she moved closer to Khara and hugged the woman as she was ready to let sleep fall upon her and her wolf again.

* * *

It was a little after dawn, she knew it because the entire room took on this warm color, this comfortable light. It symbolized warmth and the beginning of a new day, and with a new day comes new opportunities. They could do anything, go anywhere, see anyone, it mattered little, everything was available to them, all they had to do was to leave the bed.

But as Serana stretched her naked body underneath the covers, she found little desire in leaving its warm comfort. She was both warm on the outside and the inside, and she knew exactly why. It was because of her wolf, she was the reason for this lovely heat she was finding herself completely surrounded in. When her limbs had been stretched out fully, her attention fell to the wolf. She smiled when she saw that Khara was still fully asleep, looks like Serana had worn the wolf out again.

In her attempt to get a better look at the sleeping woman, Serana moved a little to the side, letting the wolf's arm slide off her waist. Just to see those fingers bend and search for her made her smile and she moved her own hand to meet them, the wolf even frowned. It looked like it worked, for when their hands met, Khara's body stopped its movements. "You don't even realize it, do you?" Serana whispered in her lowest voice. "The things that you do, even when asleep…" She smiled when she saw Khara's frown disappeared completely. "You're so very adorable when asleep, my wolf." A grin appeared on her lips.

She was, in a way, just talking to herself, but she knew that Khara was listening. The woman might be asleep, yes, but she was still receiving the words, she knew it. She hoped that the sound of her voice was sweetening the wolf's dreams and that it was providing just as much warmth for the wolf, as the wolf offers Serana.

It was irresistible, she felt the need to get closer increase with each breath that the woman took. Carefully she wiggled her body closer, until she was as close as she could get. Her open eyes right next to closed ones, her own cool lips near the warm ones. She did it slowly, savoring it as she reached closer and their lips touched. It was like the touch of a feather, it was light and soft, yet it forced her eyes shut. Her whole body was buzzing and she kept her lips against Khara's. She continued with her small and delicate kisses for a little while and when she was finally done and pulled back, she saw the wolf's smile.

It was a small smile, and she almost didn't see it, but she did. To know that her actions caused that smile gave her joy, it caused her to close her eyes at the contentment she felt.

When Khara felt the coolness leave her lips, her eyes opened. She had been deep within a dream of which she did not remember when she had felt it, the soft caress that her lips were receiving and when it stopped, so did the dream. She was fully awake now in her mind, and her body wasn't too far behind. She wondered if Serana was asleep and if what she felt had been only a creation of her imagination too. And as that thought hovered around her mind, she decided to find out.

She moved her head closer and her lips met Serana's. It didn't happen immediately, but she noticed that Serana was returning the gesture. All too soon, she pulled back as her need to feel those lips couldn't overweight the burning desire to see those eyes no more. And her desire was met at its fullest when Serana opened her eyes. "Hey." She whispered, awaiting to hear the other part of their old greeting.

"Hey yourself." Oh, how it filled her heart with love for the woman, how it caused it to increase its rhythm.

Khara smiled bashfully as she brought her arms around her and pulled her closer into her embrace. She drowned her nose in dark hair as she inhaled deeply, the scent was addictive. Just that Serana let her move her around like this made her fall even more for her. Her fingers danced around on the smooth surface on Serana's back, and she melted.

Serana too was finding this to be absolutely delicious, she rested her face in the wolf's neck as she continued to let Khara do as she pleased. "You have been in Sovngarde?" Khara hummed. "Did it feel like this?"

Khara smiled, time to let her silvered tongue to its work. "It was divine to be there. It wasn't too warm nor too cold, it was perfectly balanced. It was calm yet intense, but in the best way possible. Sovngarde was like the perfect dream, but that is what it felt like, a dream. This…This is real, this is the present reality. Sovngarde's divine embrace is but a shadow compared to what you offer, what you make me feel." She ended her little speech with a light squeeze.

"A little early for such rich words, don't you think?" Serana asked amused, her voice low as she spoke.

"For you? It's never too early, nor too late for you. My words are yours, every minute of every hour of every day, their yours always."

Serana released a sweet laugh. "I swear you have a book somewhere, filled with all of these honeyed words of yours." She wanted to find this book if it did indeed exist.

"I do actually." Khara admitted, she was interested what lengths Serana would go in order to get her lovely hands on this book of hers. "But it is very well hidden, if you were to look for it, it would take a long time."

Serana could search for it, explore every nook and corner of what the manor had to offer, but she could see that it wouldn't be very effective when she had so many other ways of finding its hiding spot. "And if I were to ask you of where you keep it?" She asked. "Like, could it be downstairs somewhere?"

Khara shook her head. "No, it's on this floor."

"In this very room?" Serana asked, interested to just where it could be.

"Correct, it's closer than you'd think, but if you were to set your eyes on it, then I don't think you would see it." Khara said with a grin.

Serana released a chuckle. "Are you talking in riddles again?"

"Maybe I am." Khara said as she sucked her lips into her mouth, it was always enjoyable to make Serana wonder.

"It's enchanted?"

"Yes, it looks like something else, but is also inside something. And I think you can even see it from here."

It looks like something else and it was close. Perhaps it would look out of place compared to the other items that filled this room. Serana moved back a little and looked to the left of her, but a hand on her chin turned her to look to the right side. There was a shelf on the wall that held some books, a vase, and something that looked of Dwemer design. The books looked like they were supposed to be there and so did the Dwemer object too, so perhaps this vase was it, or perhaps it had something in it.

With curiosity in her mind, Serana rolled off of Khara and walked over to the shelf. Her eyes were stuck on the vase, wondering if it had the item she searched for within it. She grabbed it and looked inside it, sure enough there was something there, a necklace. She took it and placed the vase back where it belonged before returning to the bed.

The neckless itself wasn't anything special, at least not to her eyes. It was made of silver and held a simple gem. She could feel some kind of magic around it, but there was something more to it. She placed it on the bed and Khara moved a hand over to it.

Khara held her hand over it for a moment as she removed the magical effects, revealing its true form. It was a book, worn and well used.

Serana looked at the book, then at Khara, then back at the book again. "May I?" She asked, she so badly wanted to see what words were held within.

"Of course." Khara encouraged her to read the words hidden within the old book, it would only work in her favor anyways.

Serana grabbed it, rolled onto her back and opened it, letting her eyes roam the pages.

 _The sun is said to be the most beautiful orb in the skies, yet I cannot help but find her orbs more pleasing to the eyes, she simply outshines it._

 _I feel blessed and I am truly afraid that if I ever were to meet Dibella, that I wouldn't be impressed by her beauty, I've seen true beauty and it comes from someone else._

 _I've fallen for the sun too many times now. It comes and goes every day, but she never leaves my side, and if she does, then I know I still have her close to my heart._

Her eyes left the pages. "You haven't said these ones yet…" She said, and her smile was shining bright.

Khara grinned at her. "I thought I would save time and let you do the reading." Khara said as she saw that smile of which she loved so dearly. "Plus, your smiling so I would think that they were pleasing to your eyes, my Lady?" Her tone was filled with humor.

Serana closed the book and placed it on the nightstand before returning her gaze to her wolf. "It was very pleasing…" She laid on her back as she continued to hold blue orbs. "This was your plan, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Khara said amused, happy to see that her plan played out as she had hoped it would. Serana rolled onto her side as she ran her hand up and down Khara's arm, silencing the wolf from further speech. Khara pressed her forehead against a cool chest as she reveled at the feeling. Her lips came in contact with her mark and it demanded a kiss and so a kiss is what she gave it. "Thank you for such a lovely morning." She said as she remembered just why and how she had woken up.

"It isn't over yet, and this is just one morning of many to come…" She promised.

With her face close to her lover's heart, she whispered content. "I'm looking forward to them, all of them."

* * *

Khara was currently going through her mail as Serana was sitting by the table as she was consumed by the book currently residing in her hands. It was quiet and peaceful, it was refreshing. The sun that rose this morning, carrying promises of a sunny day, had vanished behind the darkened clouds. The rain was pouring down upon Solitude and the streets were quiet. The horrible weather outside only caused the warmness of their home to shine even more than before.

The letters the wolf had received had nothing of great importance, they mostly held words of praise and worship from the woman's deeds in the land. But that didn't mean that the two of them would have nothing to do with their time, because both could hear someone approaching the front door, and the way that the person walked, the sound of his steps made it crystal clear that it was a guard or a soldier.

With a couple of knocks on her door, Khara rose from her seat to answer the door's call. With her dagger on her belt she opened, ready to meet the strike of the other if that was their plan.

The door opened and revealed an Imperial soldier. He stood tall and proud as he stood in his shiny armor and with purpose in his eyes, he spoke. "Thane,-" He greeted her with a firm nod. "General Tullius have requested your presence at Castle Dour. When you have time, please see him." He stretched out his hand, which held a letter. "Show this to the guards and they will let you enter." He looked past his Thane and saw Serana. "You may bring a companion, but only of which you trust highly." His eyes returned to Khara.

"I see…Did the General mention what this was about?" Khara asked as she took the letter, the seal of passage.

"I'm afraid that the General didn't say what the matter was about, only that it was delicate." The man told her.

Khara nodded slowly, wondering what Tullius wanted from her. "Very well, I'll go there as soon as possible." With those words, the man left to go on about his business. Khara closed the door and locked it as she turned around, and when she did she met Serana's gaze. Her eyes asked her question, and Serana answered right away.

"I'll come with, if you want." Serana said as she closed her book.

Khara only answered with a smile as she walked back to the table and sat down. She wasn't too lost in the thought as to why the General had requested her, it was without a doubt something to do with the civil war, but Khara had given the man her answer before. She already knew what he wanted, so the question was what he wanted her for. She had said that she would not take sides, she had said this on many occasions, but it would seem like Tullius wouldn't take a no for an answer. _What does he want with me this time?_

Serana rested her head on a hand while looking at her wolf. "You're overthinking." She could almost see the gears in the wolf's mind turn.

Khara huffed a laugh as she stopped her mind from working on the matter. "I just don't see what he want from me."

Serana smiled as she got up from her seat and grabbed her sword. She walked over to the door before turning to Khara. "There's only one way to find out." She said as she gestured to the door, and not even a second passed before the wolf rose and walked over to her.

They had heard the rumors, of course they had. There wasn't a soul in Skyrim that thought that the Aldmeri Dominion had nothing to do with the passing of the late emperor, most even agreed that it was them that had sent the man to the afterlife. And these accusations weren't hidden or spoken in the dark but shouted out in the open streets of ever town, city and settlement. Most of the Thalmor which resided within Skyrim's borders have been forced out of most places, not because they admitted to the crime, but because they valued their lives. Since the fall of Emperor Titus Mede II, the numbers of attacks and harassment on Thalmor agents have increased drastically. And with the few that still are in Skyrim, are either in the Jarls' Keeps, or at Thalmor Embassy as the questions and accusations towards them are still undergoing.

And with that, most people would have thought that Ulfric would gain even more supporters to his rebellion, but the numbers are quite like they had been before. He has lost some followers, but where some left, others have filled their place.

And there was another rumor on the streets as Khara and Serana walked towards Castle Dour. And these rumors was that the new emperor was fighting for the right to allow Talos worship to be allowed once more, at least within Skyrim, and because of that alone, he was already quite popular with the people. But for now that is all it was, a rumor. Nothing have been written in stone, not yet.

With the rain only giving their feet move with more purpose, they arrived at Castle Dour's doors quickly. And with a hand outstretched and holding the seal of passage, they were inside in no time. They didn't need to look around or ask anyone of where to go, Khara had been here before and knew the halls well.

Bent over a table that hosted a map of Skyrim was Tullius. They stopped when he turned his head to look at them. "Dragonborn, I'm glad to see you could come so quickly. Come, a have something for you." He said as he gestured for them to follow him into another room, one more private.

They followed the man, but not without questions. "Why are we here, General?" Khara asked as they entered the room. A guard closed it behind them and they found themselves seated only moments later.

"You're here because Skyrim have seen enough bloodshed, it's time to see this uprising end. And I will see it done, with or without your help." He looked at Khara and he continued. "But with your help, thousands of lives will be spared." His voice was strong, but both women could hear just how this war had taken its hold on the man.

Khara sighed as she crossed her arms and leaned back, they had been over this before. "You know I wont serve as another soldier to your army."

"I know, and I wasn't going to ask. Over the last few weeks I've received letters from scouts all over the province. The enemy's resources are near its end, but so are ours." She didn't expect him to say that, to admit that he too was low on soldiers, on provisions and supplies. "I simply want you to deliver Ulfric a letter for me."

"And why must I be the one to do this, can't you send a courier?" She asked.

"I could, but I don't think it would even reach Ulfric's eyes if given by a common courier. If you were the one to do it, then I'm sure you could make Ulfric read it and respond."

Curiosity was one of her weaknesses. "And what is the message?" She asked as she was wondering on just what the General had written down.

He held her gaze. "That it's time for this to end, once and for all."

"And you think he will agree on it?" Khara asked as she leaned closer.

"I believe that he will propose something else entirely, but until I know his answer I won't speculate on it any further." He placed a letter between them on the table. "Will you do this for me?"

Khara looked at it. The task was simple, and there didn't seem like there was anything else to it. Tullius only wanted to make sure that the words on his letter reached the eyes of the Jarl of Windhelm. And that was something Khara could do for him, after having refused all of his other whishes in the past.

She grabbed the letter and stood up. "I'll make sure he gets it, I'll even stay until he has an answer. And when he does, I'll get it to you." She promised him, and she knew that he understood what a promise meant to her, she would see it done.

"Thank you, Dragonborn. I'll await for your return. If you need horses, then be free to take some from the stables, just tell Geimund I sent you." He informed her as he rose from his seat.

She didn't know if the horses would be needed, but in case Odahviing was occupied with fighting other dragons, she accepted his offer. It was always better to play it safe. And with no need of further conversations, Khara and Serana took their leave.

With the pouring rain slowing down and the skies clearing up, they headed down to the stables.

* * *

The path to Eastmarch had been all but pleasant. The rain had passed, yes, but as soon as they had entered The Pale, snow had fell down upon them and wind had made it near impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. Their horses' strength and endurance could not be praised enough, the steeds had carried them the entire way without much pause.

They had called for Odahviing, but the dragon had not blessed them with his presence. They had easily dismissed this, for he was a dragon after all and his time was precious. Khara had explained to Serana that he was probably dealing with some rogue dragons or other enemies somewhere, or maybe he wasn't even in Skyrim, who knew?

However the reason, they would soon be at their destination. They could see some of Windhelm every now and then, whenever the storm would allow them really. And it was when they rode that a conversation about the Volkihar Clan took place.

"So, me and Mother talked for a fair bit before you came." Serana began.

Khara turned her head and steered her steed to move closer to Serana's. "Did you talk about anything specific?" She asked, her head moving back and forth from Serana and the road, careful to make sure there was nothing in their path.

"We touched on a fair amount of subjects, but we talked about the leadership of the clan." Serana told her as her eyes looked upwards, praying to anyone that would listen that the storm would be gone by the time they were to return to Solitude. "I never wanted to have so many awaiting my commands, to have so many people following me. And since she has returned, well….It's complicated things really." The clan had given their oath to serve to whoever was in charge of the Castle. Serana was given this responsibility by Garan, but now that Valerica have returned to them, she too had certain responsibilities. " I didn't wish to cross Mother with who should be in charge, I quite literally threw the title to her." Serana said with a chuckle, she was never one to care about titles and such.

This was interesting. "And what did she think about the Dawnguard?"

"I was going to mention that. She had little desire to have anything to do with it in all honesty, that was until Garan explained to her just what the Dawnguard really _was_ , what it _is_." Her smile was one filled with pride.

Khara smiled at her. "She approved?"

Serana nodded. "She did. Now she might be the one who are in charge over the Clan, but the Dawnguard?" Serana looked at her wolf. "That's ours, if you wish." She didn't want to throw that responsibility on Khara without telling the woman first, not before Khara had given her answer.

Khara tilted her head, for this just became more interesting than before. To have the Dawnguard under her and Serana's command alone would prove to be useful, she was sure of it. But not only that, Fort Dawnguard was extremely close to Riften, thus the Guild. "I'm more than willing to take that responsibility if you are. I mean, it's mostly just run by itself, isn't it?"

"It is, so you're in?" Serana asked as she flashed her most charming smile at the wolf.

"Of course I am. I'm sure we can get them to work more closely with the Guild, which would be useful to both sides." Khara told her and their conversation came to its end.

They didn't have any choice in the matter, for before them laid Windhelm. And just as they had delivered their horses to the stables, a fair amount of soldiers and guards came to them.

Neither could blame them for their hostility, there was a war after all. And with a few words spoken by Khara, they were soon given access to the city. They were escorted to the Palace of Kings where they would meet with Ulfric himself, the leader of the rebellion. They didn't know how the conversations to come would play out, and neither gave much energy into the thought to begin with. They only prepared themselves for the worst and hoped for the best.

After a fair amount of time had passed did Ulfric come into the hall. He simply looked at them before speaking. "I have important matters to attend to. Galmar,-" He looked to his second in command and spoke. "Take them to one of the rooms, I will be with them shortly." Ulfric said as he was led by one of his officers into the war room.

Galmar looked at them and walked closer. Khara removed her hood and mask and looked at the man, and when their eyes met, he grinned at them widely. "Dragonborn, it's a pleasure to see you again." He patted her on the shoulder as if there were old friends who had been denied to be reunited for too long, but they were not friends, not in the slightest. "Come, come. I will show you your room, right this way." He led them down some stairs and through a few doors before finally getting to the right room. "Ah, here we are."

Khara sighed as she walked past the door, they were at the dungeons. And with a grin still on his face, Galmar opened a door to one of the cells. "Ladies first." He said as he gestured for them to enter the small cell.

Serana looked at him with disbelief as Khara only looked somewhat pissed. "I bet you have dreamed of this day since our last meeting, Galmar." She said as she led herself and Serana into the cell, she had no desires to cross the man, not now. So she would do as she was told for now.

"You know I have." He said as she locked the door. "Jarl Ulfric will be with you shortly. I guess that until then, enjoy your room." With words spoken with amusement, he left them, but not before Khara yelled at him.

"I'm sure it's one of Windhelm's finest!" She said as she slammed her hand against the bars. His shadow was the only thing left of the man that her eyes could see.

"What in Oblivion was that all about?" Serana said bewildered as she was still shocked to the treatment they had just received.

"Galmar is one of the many of Windhelm that thought that I would side with Ulfric, since I am a Nord and all." Khara didn't care to explain much of it. "And if I know Ulfric right, it might be some time till he comes down here to fetch us."

"Did Ulfric tell him to do so?" Serana asked as she began to pace back and fourth along the wall.

"I doubt it. Ulfric is a good man at heart, he has just fallen victim to poorly made decisions in the past." She respected the man, she did, but that didn't mean that she agreed on his methods or beliefs. But that respect were shrinking for each minute that passed with them both stuck in this cell.

Khara saw that Serana had favored the bench in the back and quickly joined her. She only sighed as she leaned back against the cold stone wall. She wanted to be angry, she did. But it was so very hard to focus on her anger when Serana was leaning against her the way that she did. She turned her head to the side and inhaled the sweet scent. And when Serana found her hand, all of her thoughts of offensive words towards both Galmar and Ulfric vanished.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, and she prayed. _Please, let this be simple._ It was a foolish thought though, for when had things ever been simple?

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

Right, so here we are. The Civil War have been introduced, kinda. I got an idea the other day on how to do it differently, very differently. And with some help from **Rogueturtle,** I have every thing I need to write it all down.

I really didn't think that I would be able to finish this chapter today, but hey I did! Woohoo!

I don't have anything else to say for now, take care guys and gals!

-Zep


	39. Chapter 39

**A Tale of Dragons:** **Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol**

 _Chapter: 39_

 _Electric_

His gaze was stuck on the stone floor, he didn't move or make a single sound as he seemed to be bewitched with it. It was like he had lost his mind, as if he had no longer control over his own thoughts. He looked at the markings that had been carved into the floor by those who had been there before him. And by the looks of it, there had been many. Some carvings were disturbing to his eyes, like they were vile and vicious. There were too many words written, words of hatred mostly. He wondered for how long he would stay, or for how long he was allowed to stay.

Perhaps if he did something else when he got out, something that would demand a longer sentence, perhaps if he did that then he would be allowed to have a roof over his head for longer, food for his empty stomach, warmth for his cold body. But until then he would simply stay where he sat, in that corner of this cell.

Khara had been watching the elf for some time now, and as the minutes dragged out into hours, she couldn't help but wonder just what he had done to be put in this place. She knew that the conditions of the Grey Quarters of Windhelm were awful, and so she wondered if this man had done a crime of free will, or if he had no other choice in the matter.

She didn't ponder on it for too long though, she didn't want to dwell too deep within the many problems that were currently in this city. And with that she looked to her side, to Serana. She was reading a book, but of what, she didn't know. She didn't manage to see much of the book, her eyes were moved elsewhere. To that hand for example, and how it moved with such precision as it turned the pages. She noticed the ring that were on it, the one Khara had given to her so long ago, back in Whiterun.

And when she was on the thoughts of rings, she looked to her other hand. It to had been given by Khara, but this one held no magical powers within it, it was like she said; its symbolic. She looked to her own hand, the one that held the identical ring. She, just like Serana, also had two rings on her.

She sighed as she dismissed her thoughts. She leaned her head back and favored the cealing, surely Ulfric would come soon.

Serana looked to her wolf as the sound of boredom that Khara had released. And as if the sound of the wolf sighing had hidden powers behind it, someone opened the door to their cell.

Ulfric looked at them and only shook his head. "I apologize for Galmar's poor decisions." He looked at Khara. "You know how he is."

 _A too damn proud Nord, that is what he is._ Khara kept her thoughts from becoming words and stood up with Serana.

"Come, I've been told you have something for me, Dragonborn." He said as he moved to stand on the side, allowing both women to walk past him.

Khara stopped and turned around. "I have a message from Tullius." She handed him the letter. She saw the man read the words and frown, before he too sighed. He looked at Khara once more. "I think we both know what needs to be done here, Jarl Ulfric."

He hummed as he held on to the letter with both hands. He nodded while meeting her gaze. "I once read that the kings of old fought their battles differently than what we do now. That they stood up with their armies and fought alongside _them_ , for them." He paused, finding the words that needed to be spoken. "It is time I stand up for my people and that I fight for them, as they have fought for me. You can tell that to your _general_." He said before walking over to some stairs.

Her eyes narrowed. "He's not my general, Ulfric. I stand with no one in this war of _your_ doing. The war that you brought upon these lands."

He stopped and turned to look at her one last time. "No? Then why is it that you came carrying his message?" He pierced her eyes. "You say you value honor and justice, yet you cannot see what filth the Empire has cursed upon Skyrim and her people." His tone were higher now, anger for all of those lost souls currently present in his mind, in his memory.

"And you cannot see what you're doing. This is not the way to do it, fighting fire with fire." She walked closer to the man. "You are an honorable man, you are, but your methods of dealing with this is not the way to do it. You demand justice but cannot see that you're only creating even deeper wounds in this land. This fight of yours, it's endless. It has to end."

"My fight?" He whispered as he looked at her with disgust. He came closer and looked down at her as he stood a few inches taller. "You have no idea of what you're speaking of, _Dragonborn_."

"Don't I? You say you stand for the people, but your actions are creating more harm than anything else. Why do you keep doing it?" Her inner fire was beginning to flare up.

"You're asking me for why I fight?" He grunted and took a step back. "I fight for my people, who have been denied their way of life. I fight for the memory of the endless soldiers, my brothers, that died on foreign soil. For all of those who whispered the names of their loved ones with their last breath as I held them in my arms. This Empire is dying and I will not stand idly by and watch it drag Skyrim down with it." He looked to Serana. "It's time to choose who you stand with." He said as his eyes returned to Khara's. When he saw that she was not going to stand with him, he spoke one last time. "I have a feeling that we'll be seeing each other again soon." And with that he took his leave.

Khara looked at his shadow and huffed, anger lashing around in her mind. "Damn these Jarls." She muttered under her breath. He left no letter nor note for her, he only gave her his words. _It is time I stand up for my people_ , that was his message. Hopefully this is what Tullius was expecting from the man.

"Well, that was intense." A voice said from her side.

Khara looked at Serana and immediately felt herself calm down. "He has always been a man of strong words." Khara admitted. She knew what kind of man Ulfric was, and she knew that he only wanted the best for the people.

Serana nodded as they began walking out of the dungeons and out on the streets. "What do you think will happen?"

"I honestly don't know what to think at this point, but I'm sure Tullius will know how to proceed." She said as they got closer to the gates. Tullius was a smart man, a master of tactics, he probably already had this all played out in his mind. Whatever Ulfric meant with his words, Tullius would have a response to it, of that Khara was certain.

They had nothing else to do but travel back to Solitude now. And with the foul weather currently holding the snow and rain to itself, they could get back there faster and with much more ease.

* * *

Their message were well received by the general, but when it was all done and said, he had dismissed them. He himself would deal with the rest, as he said, but what that meant, neither of them knew. He only told Khara that she would need to take a decision soon, but of what, he didn't mention. He did say that she would probably receive a letter soon, from the Jarl of Solitude herself, but that were the last words to slip past his lips.

She had this feeling though, deep within her gut that something was going to happen soon and that she would be a part of it, Serana too would be involved. But that feeling had nothing else to it, no messages or anything really. But she was familiar with this feeling, she had felt it so many times before. There was going to be a fight of sorts, and her aspects simply told her to be prepared. She could only hope that this war was on its way to meet its end.

They were in Whiterun now and both of them could see that things were happening, changing. Serana noticed that there were no longer any Imperial soldiers in the city, that all the banners were gone. And she shared this discovery with Khara. With so many questions building up in their minds, they both agreed that trading a few words with the Jarl would be wise. However, it was getting dark outside, the night would soon be upon them. Their questions would simply have to wait till tomorrow.

But when they stood before Breezehome, they found little desire in entering and coming into its comfort. They weren't tired, if anything they were restless. Nothing had happened on their wander, no bandits to steal their items, no dragons to challenge their might and no beasts of the wild had bothered them, which was rare. It was like the silence before a storm.

Serana saw the wolf's unease, she saw that she was filled with energy, but had no way to use it, to drain it. But Serana was a clever woman and as she looked at her wolf, an idea popped into her mind. And she did enjoy surprising Khara, so she simply grabbed the woman's hand as she guided her towards Dragonsreach.

And as they approached the great palace, the wolf was forced to speak. "You know everyone in that keep is currently asleep, right?" She asked, that is why they didn't go there in the first place.

Serana smiled but it didn't make her feet move any slower. "I know, I have something else in mind." She said as she looked to the skies. _No clouds, perfect._ It was late and the sun was well on its way down, soon there would be a sunset, and she knew just how much the wolf enjoyed her sunsets.

When they reached the palace, they went to the side of it. Serana then began climbing it, making the wolf wonder even more than before of just what Serana's plan was. However, she did follow her. She kept looking over her shoulder as she climbed the wooden structure, worried that some of the guards would spot them and mistake them for thieves or assassins. But as she got higher up, her worries began to fade to the back of her mind.

She had lost sight of Serana, the woman could climb, that's for sure. She was almost on the top now, she just needed to climb that last part.

Her hands grabbed the wood and she pulled herself up. She exhaled like she would after a fight, climbing was no joke. And as she looked around for her lovely Serana, she couldn't miss but see just how small the city seemed from up here.

"Small, isn't it?" Serana asked as she sat so neatly on the roof.

Khara turned to her and smiled before turning to the city once more. "Yeah, it is." She said in a low voice.

Serana grinned as she looked down to her side. There was a little part where they could sit and lean their backs against the roof, it would be perfect. "Come here." She said to Khara.

The wolf came closer and when Serana moved her feet to hang off of the roof, the wolf got the idea. She saw the spot that Serana wanted them to reach. And as her eyes were busy on finding out how to descend safely, she failed to notice the eyes on her.

Serana couldn't help it, she knew she was staring. She saw how Khara's eyes looked higher into the air as she spotted the image of the setting sun. She saw the pure wonder in the wolf's eyes and she admired her wolf's beauty. She saw how her lips were slightly parted, her fangs on display for her eyes. Her hair being moved around by the wind. Her cute nose, it made Serana's smile grow in size.

Khara looked to her side as she felt eyes on her, but when she looked at Serana, the woman was already facing away from her.

She didn't know why she did it, it wasn't like she had been caught staring before, but for some strange reason, she dodged the wolf's gaze. But curiosity kept coming back at her, and so her eyes returned to Khara. Her wolf was still looking at her, but with a smile on her lips as she did so. And the smile was so very small, yet it held so much behind it. Even those blue eyes of hers were smiling at her.

There were some moss here and there, making the surface slippery, but they helped each other as they got down to their spot. And when they finally got there, Serana saw that there was more than enough room for them to lay down. She looked to Khara and patted on her lap and the wolf got the message.

Khara laid down and used Serana's lap as her pillow, and it was the best damned pillow she had ever used. And all of that uneasiness that she felt earlier? Gone, it had vanished, it was like it was never even there, that's the kind of effect Serana had on her. Even though she enjoyed her sunsets, she found it much better to turn her head towards Serana's stomach, it just felt _safe_.

Serana looked down at Khara when she felt the slightest of movements. The wolf's eyes were closed and her smile yet remained on her lips. Her hand were drawn to Khara's face, she so badly needed to feel the skin and she loved these moments. Moments when Khara would completely lower her guard and trust in her to keep her out of harms way. And as Serana ran her finger along the wolf's jawline, she let her thoughts become words. "I don't think I can ever get tired of this." She didn't whisper, but her voice was low.

"Sitting on the roof of Jarls' palaces?" Khara asked, but there was a small hint of humor in her tone.

Serana smiled down on Khara as she continued to let her fingers explore the warm skin. "You know of what I speak." She answered amused.

Khara chuckled as she turned her head to give the sunset one final look. This moment was one worthy of remembering. They were on the very top of Whiterun, on the tallest building looking at _this_. The mountains were about to swallow the sun, allowing only a few rays of light to pass by their grasp. And the entire sky mirrored that color, it was like it was mimicking Serana's eyes, trying to compete with it. There was a light breeze filled with the scent of the wild, of fire and wood. And the sounds, the sounds were low and gentle. It was like the wind were whistling in this low and gentle tune, like it was creating its own music that no bard could even try to mimic, the sound was simply too pure to be touched by mortals.

It was strange, for not too long ago, she was filled with energy, but now? Now she felt herself on the brink of sleep. And it wasn't like she was tired, she wasn't. However, the comfort given to her by this view and the woman who caressed her face was too much, she was overflowing with relaxation, with this unspoken calmness. "Do you think that the sun is enchanted? That it forces people to simply stop their current tasks and give it their full attention?" She wondered out loud.

Serana just looked at her with loving eyes. She loved it when the wolf spoke her mind like this, it was so very refreshing to have someone simply speak their mind, not caring if it's appropriate or not. "Do you think that it is enchanted?"

"I'm not sure. It might just be because I have a weakness for the color it carries…" She didn't even realize it, that she said those words. That she was once more referring to Serana's eyes, her orbs of home. And when she was thinking of the woman, she got another question flowing through her mind. She turned her head to look up at Serana and spoke. "What would happen if you casted Vampire's Seduction on me?" She suddenly asked.

Serana snorted, how her wolf's mind would just change like that was beyond adorable to her. "I doubt that it would work, you have a strong mind." She said with a smile as she twirled some white hair around her fingers.

Khara's brows furrowed as she wondered. "What if I was willing, that I didn't fight it?" She asked.

Serana's eyes widened the tiniest bit. "I honestly have no idea." She admitted, never before had there been a willing victim, seeing to how most mortals liked to keep their blood to themselves. "What that spell normally does is make its victim completely open to the casters words and opinions, they are forced to follow the casters commands."

"Can you remove it after you've casted it?" Khara asked as she grew more curious.

Serana looked at her. "Yeah, you want to try it, don't you?" She asked with a smirk.

Khara shrugged her shoulder as she bit her lower lip. "A little. Yeah, it'll be a fun little experiment."

Serana laughed as she nodded. "Alright, hold still." Serana said as she charged up the spell. It was a simple one and one that she had used many times in the past, she was well acquainted with it. And when her hand came in contact with the wolf's shoulder, the glow in her hands disappeared.

There was this tiny, little shiver that quickly flew through her body, but that was it. Her eyes were stuck on the stars above as she continued to check if anything felt different.

"So, how do you feel?" Serana asked.

The wolf's eyes widened, Serana's voice was so different, it was so incredibly sweet to her ears. "Woah…You're voice!" Her eyes quickly turned to Serana's face. She sat up and looked at her, really looked at her. There was this weak glow to her, like it enhanced her beauty even more than before. _She's a goddess,_ Khara gulped. She simply stared at her with wide eyes.

Serana looked at Khara and chuckled over the amount of shock on her wolf's face. "Are you alright, what do you feel?" She asked.

"I'm so attracted to you right now." Khara said with lighting speed, making Serana lean over in laughter. And the wolf's eyes simply followed her movements. Everything that was Serana was stunning, even her clothes, even her bloody shoes. "Like…I think I have feelings for your shoes…" She placed her hand on her chin and leaned on her hand as she shook her head gently. "This is so weird." She whispered, mostly to herself. "And I just said that out loud, what? My thoughts aren't private no more?" She asked surprised.

Serana was struggling to breathe, but she managed to let out a few words. "You….Y-Your thoughts are forced out due to the spell." She leaned back and closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself.

"That belt is doing a great job at following the form of your waist, and your shirt? Gods, don't even get me started on that." Khara said out loud, and she immediately groaned over her own words. "Serana, help." She whined. "It's such a beautiful name though, so sensual… _Serana_." Khara only placed her own hand over her mouth to try and safe herself from further humiliation.

Serana looked at Khara, eyes watery due to her laughter. She never would have thought that this is how it would turn out. She was so very glad that Khara had suggested they do this. "You know what will feel really good?" She asked as she leaned closer, one hand hidden from the wolf's view.

Khara shook her head as she slowly removed her hand.

Serana grinned as she placed one hand on the wolf's cheek as the other one moved to the wolf's shoulder where it removed the spell on the woman. And at the very same time, their lips met. She was going to make her wolf breathless and so, she let her tongue run over a warm, wet lip. And obviously she was allowed access in the very same second. With Khara being as distracted as she was, Serana easily made her wolf lean back as she got onto her lap. She was kissing her with such passion, their lips were the only sound that could be heard by their ears, that and their breathing.

She pressed herself against the wolf as she changed the kiss, the pressure of it, its speed. She pulled back the tiniest bit, their lips still touching as Khara spoke.

"No spell can create this feeling…" She whispered, eyes closed as she could only focus on Serana, her scent, her lips. Their foreheads met as did those unspoken words of affection when their minds connected. To simply say it out loud were like a blessing to them, but to be able to make the other one hear it clearly from within themselves, to feel them were so much more.

Serana's smile became smaller, but not because her joy was shrinking, it was because there was simply too much for her to focus on. She never wanted this to change, this feeling she had, and the feeling her wolf had for her. "Don't ever get tired of me." She asked, begging that such a time would never dawn upon her.

Khara brought her arms around her in a gentle embrace. "As long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, I won't ever let boredom be in the same thought as you." It was a promise, one that Khara would carry with her till the end of her life and beyond. "But you must do the same, we're on the same boat here."

"Then in an ocean filled with chaos, I will stay with you on our little vessel, fighting even the mightiest of waves." She whispered back, her words were inspired by her wolf.

Khara grinned, she didn't expect such a response. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you've been snooping around in my book." Humor, their kind of humor, it just made it even better for their ears.

Serana leaned against her shoulder as she responded. "As if I would need a book for clever words, you are all the inspiration I'll ever need."

Khara leaned her head back and sighed happily. The stars shone just for their eyes on this night, just for them. And the moons, they were stunning from where they shined on the night sky. There was nothing out of place, it was perfect. And with being in such a good mood thank to her beloved Serana, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

After what seemed like hours, Serana could hear the change in the wolf's breathing as well as her heartbeat, she was asleep. This was one of those moments Serana wished she could draw again, she wanted to capture this moment of Khara. So, without the aid of pen and paper, she allowed her eyes to capture it for her. She leaned back, the wolf's arms were still around her, holding her if she were to lose her balance.

Her eyes followed the wolf's scar up to those closed eyes. She found that nose, those lips. Her eyebrows, her messy hair. There was this thing about Khara, about her natural beauty and how it seemed like the wolf never had to do anything in order to keep herself looking like this, it just did it on its own. She could never see enough of her wolf's face, it was endless. Her beauty was endless.

She looked to her side, down to the city who held so many lights in it. It was almost as if the city had stars on its own. Over the sound of the calming wind, a voice could be heard. She looked down to the statue of Talos and saw the tiny man, his name was Heimskr if she remembered correctly. How he hadn't been arrested yet for his unending waves of rather loud words were a mystery to her.

She looked back at her sleeping wolf and concluded that if they were to talk with the Jarl tomorrow, then they would at least have some good from resting their eyes for a few hours. And sleeping on a roof wouldn't be all that good for their necks nor backs. But Serana had a plan, she would get Khara into a warm and comfortable bed before that time, of that she was certain.

* * *

Serana and Khara was walking up to the keep, to Dragonsreach. The guards opened the doors for them as they recognized their Thane. They saw that the Jarl, his housecarl and steward weren't by the throne, and so they made their way over to some stairs. By the planning table stood Balgruuf with his advisors.

He heard the steps of the two new people in the room and turned towards them. "Hey now, I was just about to send someone for you." He said as he greeted Khara, not as a Thane or the Dragonborn, but as an old friend and ally. He greeted them both, any friend of Khara was welcomed here.

"Well, we just saved you the bother. What's going on?" Khara asked with a friendly smile.

"I've received a rather interesting letter from General Tullius and Jarl Elisif. Tullius have called in a meeting, inviting all the Jarls of Skyrim to High Hrothgar." He informed her.

"A meeting? For what purpose?" She asked.

"The General and Jarl Ulfric seemed to have found common ground. They wish to set aside their differences for a day to talk." Proventus said, he was Balgruuf's steward.

"But why invite all of the other Jarl's?" Khara asked, not fully seeing what this was all about, not yet.

"General Tullius have speculated on what Ulfric's next move is. It will be like…Like…" Balgruuf turned to Proventus for aid.

Proventus saw the look in his Jarl's eyes and spoke for him. "A tournament of sorts, or games if you may. Tullius expects Ulfric to demand a trial by combat." Proventus explained to the group.

Khara's face took that of a shocked one before looking back at Balgruuf. "And the General will accept this?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't he? All it will take is a swift move of a blade to end this war." Irileth said.

"And the Emperor, does he know of this?" Serana asked.

Proventus nodded to her question. "He does, General Tullius have been given the order to take back Skyrim, by all means necessary." Irileth said from where she stood guarding her Jarl.

Khara nodded slowly as she wondered to why all the Jarls would meet, and just not Tullius and Ulfric. "Then what role does the other Jarls have in this?"

"They have the right to join Ulfric in this, to show their support to him. If all the Jarls accept, then they will fight with him or provide their support in other ways, it's not required, we suspect Ulfric will only let a few of his most trusted join him in this." Balgruuf said as his eyes roamed the map before him.

"How will this play out? Will there be one fight or multiple ones?" Serana asked, she had never witnessed anything like this before.

"There should be four fights. The victor of these fights will face the victor of another, until there is only two left." Proventus explained as he was the one with the most experience on this matter.

Khara frowned over this. "What happens if one side have more victors?"

"Then they will have to choose which one of them that are to proceed to the next fight." Balgruuf explained as he looked at Khara.

Khara frowned once again as she leaned over the table. "Why have several fights?"

"The answer is simple; to prove loyalty, strength, endurance and honor. There is no doubt that Ulfric will demand these battles to be seen by all, and so he has a chance to prove the strength of the Stormcloaks." He will want all of the people of Skyrim to see his allies in battle, to show them their strength and unity.

It made sense, Ulfric would perhaps end up with more supporters this way, if he won. "I see…When will this meeting take place?"

"If things go as planned, then in two days." Two days to reach the home of the Greybeards, to reach High Hrothgar.

Khara nodded, and she was now ready to ask her original question. "So, why is it that there isn't an Imperial soldier for miles to see?"

Balgruuf chuckled as he was waiting for her to ask. "General Tullius have asked me to host these battles. And I accepted." He told her. "Whiterun will remain neutral until this is settled." He looked to his steward and nodded. "The General also want you to be there, under the meeting. In order to keep the peace."

Khara offered him a kind smile. "I'll gladly come with you. I know that some of the Jarls are a little more eager than the others, I'll help keep them in check."

"My thanks to you, Khara." Balgruuf said with a hand over his heart. "There is a few things I need to finish before we travel, but it should be swift work. Would you allow me to offer you a carriage ride to Ivarstead?" He asked as he readied himself for all of the paper work that laid before him.

"That I would, thank you." She said with a small nod before leaving the man to his work.

As they walked out of the palace, Serana whispered. "This will be very interesting."

"It sure will." Khara agreed, but something told her that Tullius had more plans for her than to just keep the peace. She knew him, he was clever, he had other plans for her, she was sure of it.

* * *

The days passed and they made their way to High Hrothgar. But they had talked further with Jarl Balgruuf, and he had asked them of something. Due to him being the host of this event, he has lost a great amount of soldiers. And if he is to keep the peace while both the Stormcloaks and Imperials are inn and around his city, he will need help.

Serana has sent a message to Fort Dawnguard, to see if they had anyone that they could spare. And with the Dawnguard so eager to prove their strength and numbers, Orgrim was currently on his way to Whiterun, acting as the leader of the Dawnguard on this mission. With him were an impressive number of twenty fit soldiers. In this was two of which he trusted greatly; Seberian and Val'Ju.

They rode past the mountain pass which would take them to Helgen. Seberian was an Imperial, as proud as they come. The man was skilled in combat, of that there was no doubt. He carried a shield and an axe. And for Val'Ju, he is an Argonian. He is quite similar to the Shadowscales of the Dark Brotherhood. He too favored daggers over anything else. He is swift and merciless in combat, something that made Orgrim have a respect for the Argonian.

Over the last few weeks, they are the ones that he has had the honor of fighting, feasting and laughing with. They may be vampires, but the mindless acts that so often follows that name were no where to be seen in the two men. It might be foolish to admit it, but Orgrim would go as far as saying that these two were good friends of his.

"This will be a good opportunity for us." Val'Ju said as they rode. "The Dawnguard still has a long way to travel before the name rolls of most tongues in this land, but this will help in spreading the word of our order."

"Indeed it will, my scale-covered friend, indeed it will." Seberian said amused as he looked to his ally, his comrade. "But come now, I know why you are really with us on this task. You hunger for something which only mortals can offer."

"Don't we all?" Val'Ju's eyes locked with Orgrim's. "Well, most of us…" He added with a wicked grin.

The orc chuckled as he shook his head. "If there is someone who causes trouble, then you are allowed to take a sip. Just make sure that the wound is healed and mind is wiped before you're done with the fools." Hestla was the one who gave the orders, but they were allowed to take blood from those who would break the rules of the peace. And they were prepared for it, some more than others.

Seberian nodded as he was beginning to see the walls of Helgen. "Of course, of course. We will be most careful, I assure you." It was a promise that he could not break, even if he desired to do so. They were bound together by a blood oath, one that would be most painful if broken. And Seberian nor Val'Ju were prepared to see what horrors would come seek them out if it was broken.

Orgrim looked ahead and inhaled deeply. "But you're right, brother, this will prove useful for the Dawnguard." He admitted to it, from when he joined the order of vampire hunters, he has hungered for its growth.

They were starting to make a name for themselves in The Rift and The Reach, but soon all of Skyrim shall know their name. He was driven by two things in this moment; to support his friends and to represent a great cause. And if Khara and Serana have asked him to aid in the keeping of the peace, then by Malacath, he would see it done. He also had something else with him, a gift of sorts. Serana was the one that had given him this opportunity; to join the Dawnguard. And he felt like such a thing should be rewarded. He was still quite skilled with working the forge and with that skill came the creation of an armor set that not many had seen before. It was light, yet held enough protection where it was needed. The finest leather, the lightest ebony were in this piece of art. And Orgrim was sure that his friend would accept it. It held some similarities with the Dawnguard design, but it was still unique, it would fit perfectly for Serana, he was sure of it.

"How would you like us to work when we arrive, Orgrim?" Seberian asked after a few quiet minutes.

"Take ten Dawnguard each, I will work closely with Lady Serana on this. Val'Ju,-" He looked to the Argonian. "You should patrol the city streets, your skill with the shadows would be most useful there."

"I shall keep the outside of the walls in order then, _Commander_." Seberian said with a grin.

Orgrim looked to the Imperial and laughed. "Commander now, is it? My name will do just fine, friend."

Seberian looked at him with disbelief. "Truly? Do you not enjoy having such a high rank?"

"I do, don't get me wrong, but to have my name spoken by friends would do me an even greater honor."

Seberian nodded with a clever look in his eyes. "You truly are the most sophisticated orc I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." His words caused them all to laugh, even some of the other Dawnguard who were riding behind them.

To be surrounded by blood-drinking creatures would have caused most to be afraid of doing much, all who have blood in them would be a target. However, they may be different, come from different places and different reasons, but they are all bound together by one thing alone; an order. An order that were forced upon most of them, it was either that or exile, or death. But time is a strange thing indeed. They came together from so many strange places and backgrounds, but are held together by something else, something strong. To fight next to someone, to rely on them to have your back in even the most dangerous of situations does something to the mind.

Respect for one another were strong in this group of vampire hunters, and from that friendship so much more comes. Loyalty, that is what they all feel, unbreaking loyalty.

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Serana asked as she sat in a chair next to the bed. The wolf was sitting on the bed, eyes lost as the thoughts of her mind were reflected in them.

They had come back to Whiterun not long ago, and with what was about to happen in this very city, they decided to ready themselves for the storm that were about to come. And so Khara's mind were currently trying to prepare the wolf by creating every single scenario possible in the woman's mind, _every_ single one.

"I'm just getting ready, mentally." She answered. There was one thing on her mind though, if things were to go out of hand, then she should fix this one possible problem.

Serana looked at Khara, or at her hair rather. The wolf's hair were untied, it wasn't braided, it was free. And this was a rare moment for Serana. She hadn't seen Khara having her hair like this too much and it caused the moment to be that much more memorizing to her. And as she was about to join her thoughts about whatnot, she saw that Khara was reaching for some scissors. Like her wolf was in great danger, Serana leapt forward and pushed Khara down on the bed, making sure that the hand holding the weapon wouldn't be able to move much.

With wide eyes the wolf spoke. "By Talos, you scared the crap out of me…" Khara chuckled as she calmed herself. "What was that about?" She asked.

"You can't cut your hair." Serana simply stated as she removed the awful creation of man and threw it away from them both.

Khara's eyes met Serana's and the wolf raised an eyebrow. "No? Serana, I need to, it keeps getting in the way at the most awful of times." It was reasonable, but Serana wasn't having it.

"I can braid it for you." The words came out quick, but that didn't mean they were honest.

Khara sighed, but with a small smile at her lips as she did so. "It won't hold." She tried.

"I'll make sure it does." Serana said with a frim nod.

Khara shook her head. "Why is this so important to you?" She looked into those eyes, and she already knew.

"Because it's beautiful, you and your long hair." She simply didn't wish to see it gone.

This was a little ridiculous, maybe. But it was such a simple wish, Serana could ask her for anything and everything, yet this was her wish.

"Alright." With those words spoken, Serana let go of her hostage, for now. And it wasn't like they needed to exchange more words. Khara sat up and Serana moved to sit behind her.

It was something that shook in Serana when she had seen the wolf's hair, or the length of it. When they had met all that time ago, it was only to about the wolf's shoulders, but now it was well on its way down the wolf's back. It was like the proof that showed her for just how long she had been with Khara, and Khara with her. It was strange, but for them it was normal.

And while Serana did what her own mother had done so many times to her, she set to work with the wolf's hair, making sure it would no longer shield the wolf's vision. And as she worked, she noticed that Khara's whole posture relaxed. She was tense before, but there was no trace of it no longer. Minutes passed and the wolf was beginning to slump a little where she sat.

"Feel good?" Serana asked lowly as she continued her work, making sure to move her fingers gently against the wolf's head whenever she reach to grab some hair.

"Everything feels good with you." The wolf mumbled back.

Luckily, Serana managed to finish before Khara fell back against her. Serana's actions have put Khara into a state of which she never wished to leave. She was so very relaxed in this moment, she was at the brink of sleep.

"How long until the others get here?" Khara whispered with closed eyes as she was held tightly by two strong arms.

Serana nuzzled into her wolf's neck and grinned. "Not long now, a few hours at most." The Dawnguard was probably close to Riverwood by now, if all had gone to plan.

 _Perfect._ "Would my wife like to have a drink before that time comes?" Khara asked, her smile heard in her words.

Serana released a silent laugh over Khara's dorky way of asking if she was hungry. "I think your wife would enjoy that very much." But just because it was silly didn't mean that she didn't like it.

With her hair out of the way, thanks to Serana, all Khara had to do was to lean her head to the side. And when that warm slender neck were on full display in front of her, she could do little, she needed to feel it. She probably spent a little too long with just enjoy the feeling of the wolf's neck, the smoothness, the warmth, it was too easy to forget what she was supposed to do.

But even though her fangs were yet to sink into that neck, Khara was more than satisfied to feel smooth lips instead of magnificent fangs. In all honesty, this was more than enough for Khara, but she still longed to be able to provide for Serana with what she knew no one else could offer.

And at just the right time, in the right place, sharp fangs met warm skin. It was like she needed her to come closer, even though they were flush against each other. Her arms didn't seem to know this fact though, for they tried desperately to pull the wolf closer. And she wasn't all that hungry, so she didn't rush it, or try to make it quick. She took her time when her fangs sank down, she let her lips try to make amends with the small sting of pain that she knew she had afflicted upon Khara.

To hear her wolf release that calm sigh, that sound that were filled with what the wolf were feeling, it made it all the more real. She let one hand come up to the other side of Khara's neck as she continued to take small sips of blood.

Eyes closed, she could hear a song from their hearts combined rhythm. Lips to warm skin, their touch were electric. With only a handful of lit candles, the darkness of the night were ready to consume their light. It created an atmosphere so warm, yet so fragile, it caused that rhythm only to be heard that much louder.

Serana removed her fangs, and with careful movements, she managed to move them around. Khara laid on her back as Serana's lips were still latched onto her neck, still enjoying the warmth in liquid form.

But Serana didn't stay there for much longer, her lips desired to move higher, to even softer skin. And with that song being sung in her mind so clearly now, she moved with it.

 _Darker than the ocean, deeper than the sea._

She didn't know if she had heard this song before or if it was her mind that were creating the words. Whatever it was, she let herself become consumed by it. Her wolf's company, her thoughts, love, warmth, humor, loyalty. Khara had it all and she shared it with her. And it was growing, that feeling that she got whenever they were alone like this, it was growing for each passing moment.

 _You got everything, you got what I need.  
Touch me, you're electric love._

Warm hands came to bring her closer, as they had done so many times before, but it still felt like the very first time. A loving embrace only shared by two who couldn't live without each other. And as that warm skin touched cool skin, the electric feeling entered both. It made her forget where she was, it felt like they were floating away.

 _Move me, take me from this place.  
Moving to the tempo, show me what it takes.  
Speeding up my heartbeat, playing in the face._

Unable to stay away for any longer, her face hovered over non-glowing orbs filled with unspoken words and emotions. To see so much from eyes alone was like a spell, she was enthralled by it, she couldn't look away.

 _Kiss me, we're on fire love  
Love me, take me to higher ground  
Kiss me, we're on fire love  
Love me, take me to higher ground_

Slowly, they lips met in their practiced dance. The feeling alone demanded all other things to pause, this is all they could focus on. The warmth that came with that touch was like an embrace on its own. She was completely covered in it, showered with a gentle caress of the utmost tenderness.

 _Covered in your water and I'm feeling like a summer breeze  
Submitting on the power and you brought me to my knees_

Her life wasn't just hers anymore, it was shared. And she too held someone else's life in her hands, in her heart. Their life, fused together, creating something more, something beautiful.

 _Use me, you're electric love  
Move me, take me all the way_

And from where her curious hands went, a trail of heat and electricity followed. Every touch created a sound, a reaction. She wanted to hear it more clearly, and so her lips found a neck once more, bringing her ear closer to parted lips.

 _Whisper in my ear, I'm the only one you're loving on  
Take advantage of the moment, you're the only one that I want_

Time wasn't with them, it was gone, it had vanished as they completely forgot about anything else. From their feet and all the way to their fingertips their skin touched. Ice and fire moved together, and Serana swore that she could see small sparks between their bodies. She thought she did anyway, for her eyes were only open for a brief moment before they were forced shut by having warm, wet lips on her own neck.

 _Kiss me, we're on fire  
Love me, take me higher  
Kiss me, we're on fire  
Love me, take me higher_

Like she had done, Khara was now showering her neck with her love. And she couldn't get enough of it. With her body making all the moves for her, she allowed her wolf to have more room to work with. And with her eyes so comfortable shut, her body so incredibly relaxed, she released a sigh at the feeling.

 _Melting like ice on a summer day  
Hold me like you mean it, take me far away  
Body moving and temperature rising  
Take me to the top and watch me fall in_

In all honesty, she couldn't move. Warm hands and legs were holding her entire body hostage. And Serana, she could only try to lay still as she witnessed just how much Khara felt for her. And as the wolf slowed down, they shared one last, long kiss. It was similar to the other ones, but more heavy. Not in the way that it was hard or eager, but in the way that it was so soft that everything else behind it could be felt.

 _Kiss me, we're on fire love  
Love me, take me to higher ground  
Kiss me…_

They didn't fall asleep, they didn't go out of the house. In fact, they stayed right where they laid on that bed. The light of the candles had been swallowed by the night a long time ago. All was quiet, all but the sound of their hearts. And with their hands still on each other, that feeling could still be felt. That warmth, that electric feeling that they created alone. They weren't about to pass out due to the heat, nor were they shivering from the cold. In a simple word, without it being painful, they were on fire.

 _We're on fire love._

* * *

 **My opinion on the Chapter and info:**

It will be interesting to make the up and coming fight to be unique in their own way, but I am sure that with the right dialogue and the correct people facing each other, that it will be enjoyable for most of you.

Due to work and family matters I have been unable to write much these last days. I have the weekend on me to write some more, but when Monday starts I will most likely have my plate ful again. I think that in two weeks from now I will be able to get back to writing a lot each day.

I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter to come out, but I wanted it to be decent. Thank you for reading and I hope that you all are having a good October so far.

I'll see you in the next one, take care!

-Zep


End file.
